- Then Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? And now, is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor. Wash yourself therefore and anoint you, and put your raiment upon you, and go down to the floor. But make not yourself known unto the man until he has finished eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie; and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay down, and he will tell you what you shall do. And she said unto her, All that you say unto me, I will do.
- And she went down unto the floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law bid her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. And she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid herself down. And it came to pass at midnight that the man was afraid, and turned himself, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your handmaid. Spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed be you of the Lord, my daughter, for you have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you followed not young men, whether poor or rich. And now my daughter, fear not, I will do to you all that you require, for all the city of my people does know that you are a virtuous woman. And now it is true that I am your near kinsman; nevertheless, there is a kinsman nearer than I. Stay this night, and it shall be in the morning that if he will perform unto you 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 you, then I will do the part of a kinsman to you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until the morning.
- 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. Also he said, Bring the veil that you have upon you 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. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who are you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, These six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me, Go not empty unto your mother-in-law. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall. For the man will not be in rest until he has finished the thing this day.
- Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat himself down there. And behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by, unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit yourselves down here. And they sat down. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that has come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech’s. And I thought to advise you, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know, for there is none to redeem it besides you, and I am after you. And he said, I will redeem it. Then said Boaz, What day you buy the field of the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. Redeem my right to yourself, for I cannot redeem it.
- Now this was the manner in former time in Israel, concerning redeeming and concerning changing, in order to confirm all things: a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor; and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore, the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for yourself. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, You 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. 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 will not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place; you are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel, and do you worthily in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. And let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give to you of this young woman.
- So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife; and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto you a restorer of your life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him. And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women, her neighbors, 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. Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon, and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
Chapter 3