Ruth Chapter 1
Ruth and Naomi
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons.
2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi; and the names of his sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4 These sons took Moabite wives for themselves; the name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years.
5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
6 So she arose with her daughters-in-law and returned from the country of Moab. for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.
7 So she left the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law went with her, and they set out to return to the land of Judah.
8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to the dead and to me.
9 May the Lord grant that each of you may find rest in the home of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.
10 They said to her, “We will certainly go with you to your people. ”
11 But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb who could become your husbands?
12 Go back, my daughters, for I am too old to have a husband.” And even if I should say, ‘I have hope,’ and I should have a husband tonight, and even bear sons,
13 would you wait for them until they were grown? Would you remain unmarried for their sake? No, my daughters, for my bitterness is greater than yours, because the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”
14 And they lifted up their voices again and wept; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; go back after her.”
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death parts me from you.
18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
19 So the two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the people said, “Isn’t this Naomi?”
20 But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, with her. They returned from the country of Moab and came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Ruth Chapter 2
Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a wealthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
2 Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the fields and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
3 So she went and arrived and gleaned in the fields after the reapers. And it happened that the part of the field belonged to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.
4 Now Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”
5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the Moabite young woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab;
7 And she said, “Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.” So she went in, and from morning until now she has not rested for a moment.
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but stay here with my young women.
9 Watch carefully the field where they are reaping, and follow them. I have told the young men not to bother you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink what the young men have drawn.”
10 Then she bowed down with her face to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
11 Boaz answered her, “I have heard all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live among a people you did not know before.
12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you be fully rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
13 She said, “My lord, may I find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not even one of your servants.”
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” So she sat down among the reapers, and he gave her some stew. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.
15 Then she got up to glean. And Boaz commanded his servants, saying, Let her glean also among the sheaves, and do not shame her;
16 and let some of the bundles fall for her, and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.
17 So he gleaned in the field until evening, and threshed what he had gathered, and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 So she took it and went to the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out what she had left over after she had eaten her fill and gave it to her.
19 Then her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, for he has not withheld from the living the kindness he showed to the dead.” Then Naomi said to her, “That man is a close relative of ours, and one of those who can redeem us.”
21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he told me, ‘Stay with my young women until they have finished all my harvest.’”
22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, so that you are not found in another field.”
23 So she stayed with the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Ruth Chapter 3
Ruth and Boaz in the era
1 Then her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find a home for you, so that you may be well off?
2 Isn’t Boaz our relative, with whose servants you have been? He is winnowing barley tonight.
3 Wash yourself, anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 When he lies down, note the place where he lies, uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
5 She replied, “I will do everything you tell me.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had told her.
7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the threshing floor. So she came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.
9 He asked, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread the corner of your cloak over your servant, for you are a close relative.”
10 He said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown even greater kindness now than before, not going after young men, whether rich or poor.
11 Now then, do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my people know that you are a woman of noble character.
12 Although I am a close relative, there is someone closer than I.
13 Stay here tonight, and if he redeems you in the morning, then let him redeem you. But if he is unwilling to redeem you, I will redeem you, as surely as the Lord lives. Rest until morning.
14 After he had lain at his feet until morning, he got up before the men could recognize one another, for he said, “Let no one know that a woman came to the threshing floor.”
15 Then he said to her, “Take off the cloak you are wearing and hold it here.” So she held it there, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her; and she went into the city.
16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said to her, “What is it, my daughter?” And she told her everything that had happened to her with that man.
17 And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘So that you will not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
18 Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”
Ruth Chapter 4
Boaz marries Ruth
1 Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz had spoken came by, and he said to him, “Come over here, friend, and sit down.” So he came over and sat down.
2 Then he took ten of the elders of the city and said, “Sit here.” So they sat down.
3 Then he said to the kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling a portion of the land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
4 And I decided to bring it to your attention and tell you to buy it in the presence of those sitting here and the elders of my people. If you wish to redeem it, then redeem it; but if you do not wish to redeem it, tell me so that I may know, for there is no one else to redeem it except you, and I am next in line after you.” And he answered, “I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz replied, “On the same day that you buy the land from Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the deceased man’s wife, in order to restore the name of the dead man on his inheritance.”
6 But the kinsman said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I jeopardize my own inheritance. You redeem it yourself, for I am unable to redeem it.”
7 Now this was the custom in Israel concerning redemption and transactions: to confirm any transaction, one party would take off his sandal and give it to the other, and this served as a testimony in Israel.
8 So the kinsman said to Boaz, “Take it yourself.” And he took off his sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon.”
10 And I have also taken Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, to be my wife, to restore the name of the dead man on his inheritance, so that his name will not be blotted out from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.
11 Then all the people who were at the gate with the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem.
12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He went in to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son.
14 And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a relative, and may his name be renowned in Israel.
15 He will be a restorer of your life and a nourisher in your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has borne him; and she is more precious to you than seven sons.”
16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap, and became his nurse.
17 The neighboring women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi”; and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 These are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,
19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,
20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,
21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,
22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.