| 1:1 |
During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to livestay in the landterritory of Moab for a while. |
| 1:2 |
The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the landfields of Moab and settled there. |
| 1:3 |
Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. |
| 1:4 |
Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about 10ten years, |
| 1:5 |
both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomithe woman was left without her two children and without her husband. |
| 1:6 |
She and her daughters-in-law preparedset out to leavereturn from the landterritory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to Hishis people’s need by providing them food. |
| 1:8 |
SheNaomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show faithfulkindness love to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. |
| 1:9 |
May the Lord enablegrant each of you torest find security in the house of youra new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly. |
| 1:10 |
“No,”They they said to her., “We willinsist goon returning with you to your people.” |
| 1:15 |
Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her godgods. Follow your sister-in-law.” |
| 1:16 |
But Ruth replied: DoDon’t notplead persuadewith me to leaveabandon you or goto backreturn and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. |
| 1:17 |
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahwehthe Lord punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me. |
| 1:18 |
When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped tryingtalking to persuade her. |
| 1:21 |
I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has pronouncedopposed judgment on me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” |
| 1:22 |
So Naomi came back from the landterritory of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. |
| 2:1 |
Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side named Boaz. He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech’s family. His name was Boaz. |
| 2:2 |
Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone whowith allowswhom meI tofind favor?” Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” |
| 2:3 |
So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of landthe field belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family. |
| 2:6 |
The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the landterritory of Moab. |
| 2:7 |
She asked, ‘Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters?’? ’ She came and has remainedbeen fromon her feet since early morning until now, except that she rested a little in the shelter.” |
| 2:10 |
She bowedfell withfacedown, herbowed face to the ground, and said to him, “Why arehave I found favor with you, so kindthat toyou notice me, although I am a foreigner?” |
| 2:11 |
Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and theyour native land of your birth, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. |
| 2:13 |
“My lord,” she said, “youI have beenfound sofavor kindwith to meyou, for you have comforted and encouraged your slaveservant, although I am not like one of your female servants.” |
| 2:17 |
So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gathered, and it was about 26twenty-six quarts of barley. |
| 2:18 |
She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. ThenShe she brought out what she had left over from her meal and gave it to her. |
| 2:19 |
ThenHer her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you gather barley today, and where did you work? May the Lord bless the man who noticed you.” Ruth told her mother-in-law aboutwhom the men she had worked with and said, “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz.” |
| 2:20 |
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May hethe beLord blessedbless byhim thebecause Lord,he who has not forsakenabandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.” |
| 3:1 |
Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find securityrest for you, so that you will be taken care of? |
| 3:6 |
She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructedcharged her to do. |
| 3:7 |
After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley., Thenand she wentcame in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. |
| 3:9 |
So he asked, “Who are you?” “I am Ruth, your slaveservant,” she replied. “SpreadTake yourme cloakunder overyour mewing, for you are a family redeemer.” |
| 3:16 |
She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “HowWhat did it gohappened, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. |
| 4:1 |
Boaz went to the gate of the town and sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz called him by name and said, “Come over here and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. |
| 4:2 |
Then Boaz took 10ten men of the town’s elders and said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. |
| 4:3 |
He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the landterritory of Moab, is selling athe pieceportion of landthe field that belonged to our brother Elimelech. |
| 4:4 |
I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do soit. But if you do not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn’t anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.” “I want to redeem it,” he answered. |
| 4:5 |
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the landfield from Naomi, you will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.” |
| 4:10 |
I willhave also acquireacquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his homehometown. You are witnesses today.” |
| 4:11 |
TheAll elders and all the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and famousyour name well known in Bethlehem. |
| 4:13 |
Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. WhenHe heslept was intimate with her, and the Lord enabledgranted herconception to conceiveher, and she gave birth to a son. |
| 4:14 |
ThenThe the women said to Naomi, “PraiseBlessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. |
| 4:16 |
Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and tookbecame carea ofmother to him. |
| 4:18 |
Now thisthese isare the genealogyfamily records of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron., |
| 4:19 |
Hezron fathered Ram, whoRam fathered Amminadab., |
| 4:20 |
Amminadab fathered Nahshon, whoNahshon fathered Salmon., |
| 4:21 |
Salmon fathered Boaz, whoBoaz fathered Obed., |
| 4:22 |
And Obed fathered Jesse, whoand Jesse fathered David. |