THE
BOOK OF
RUTH
CHAPTER 1
1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that
there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to
sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was
Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon
and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of
Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and
her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of
the one was Orpah, and the name of
the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the
woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might
return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how
that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was,
and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto
the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return
each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt
with the dead, and with me.
9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then
she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee
unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go
with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may
be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I
have hope, if I should have an
husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay
for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for
your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah
kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto
her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy
people shall be my people, and thy
God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:
the LORD do so to me, and more also, if
ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her,
then she left speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it
came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved
about them, and they said, Is this
Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara:
for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again
empty: why then call ye me Naomi,
seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in
law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to
Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
CHAPTER 2
1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of
wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to
the field, and glean ears of corn after him
in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the
reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was
of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the
reapers, The LORD be with you. And
they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the
reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and
said, It is the Moabitish damsel that
came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the
reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the
morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go
not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my
maidens:
9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and
go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch
thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest
take knowledge of me, seeing I am a
stranger?
11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been
shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of
thine husband: and how thou hast left
thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a
people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given
thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord;
for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto
thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and
eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the
reapers: and he reached her parched corn,
and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his
young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
16 And let fall also some
of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them,
and rebuke her not.
17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that
she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 And she took it
up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and
she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was
sufficed.
19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou
gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take
knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought,
and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.
20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off
his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next
kinsmen.
21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou
shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go
out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the
end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
CHAPTER 3
1 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter,
shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
2 And now is not
Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley
to night in the threshingfloor.
3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy
raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done
eating and drinking.
4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark
the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and
lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will
do.
6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to
all that her mother in law bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry,
he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and
uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid,
and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said, Who art
thou? And she answered, I am Ruth
thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
10 And he said, Blessed be
thou of the LORD, my daughter: for
thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning,
inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that
thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the
part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do
the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the
morning.
14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose
up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman
came into the floor.
15 Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured
six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her
all that the man had done to her.
17 And she said, These six measures
of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how
the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished
the thing this day.
CHAPTER 4
1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and,
behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a
one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said,
Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out
of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before
the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if
thou wilt not redeem it, then tell
me, that I may know: for there is
none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will
redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand
of Naomi, thou must buy it also of
Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon
his inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own
inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the
manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing,
for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are
witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was
Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I
purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance,
that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the
gate of his place: ye are witnesses
this day.
11 And all the people that were
in the gate, and the elders, said, We are
witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel
and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in
Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem:
12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar
bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young
woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went
in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman,
that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old
age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than
seven sons, hath born him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and
became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There
is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are
the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
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