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Ruth 2

Ruth meets Boaz

2 Boaz was a rich and important man who lived in Bethlehem. He was from the family of Naomi's husband, Elimelech.

2 One day, Ruth, the woman from Moab, said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the fields to pick up some grain from the harvest. I will walk behind anyone who lets me do that.’ Naomi said, ‘Yes, my daughter, go and do that.’ 3 So Ruth went to the fields. She began to pick up the grains of barley that the men dropped on the ground. [ a ] It happened that she was in part of a field that belonged to Boaz. Boaz was from Elimelech's clan.

4 Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem town. He said ‘hello’ to the workers. ‘I pray that the Lord will help you,’ he said. The men replied, ‘We pray that the Lord will bless you!’

5 Boaz asked the leader of his workers, ‘Who is that young woman? Which family does she belong to?’

6 The man said, ‘She is that young woman from Moab, who returned from Moab with Naomi. 7 She asked me, “Please let me walk behind your workers. Then I can pick up the grains of barley that they leave on the ground.” She has worked very hard in the field since she arrived this morning. She only had a short rest in the hut.’

8 So Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Young woman, listen to me. Do not go and pick up grains of barley in any other field. Stay here in this field and work beside my servant girls. 9 Watch carefully where the men are working. Then follow behind the other women. I have told the male workers not to touch you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and drink water from the jars. My servants fill those jars with water to drink.’

10 Ruth went down on her knees with her head towards the ground in front of Boaz. She said, ‘I am a foreign woman. So why do you choose to be so kind to me? Why are you taking care of me?’

11 Boaz replied, ‘People have told me all about you. When your husband died, you helped Naomi very much. You chose to leave your father, your mother and your country. You came here to live with people who were strangers to you. 12 You have done many good things. So I pray that the Lord will do good things for you in return. You have come here to be safe with the Lord , who is Israel's God. I pray that he will bless you.’

13 Ruth said, ‘Thank you, sir. You are being very kind to me. Your words cause me to feel happy and strong. I am not even as important as one of your servant girls, but you have been kind to me.’

14 When it was time to eat a meal, Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Come here and eat with us. Take some bread and mix it with the wine.’ So Ruth sat down to eat with the workers. Boaz gave her some grain that someone had cooked. She ate all that she wanted, and she still had some with her.

15 After the meal, Ruth returned to work in the field. Boaz said to his workers, ‘Let her pick up grains anywhere, even near the heaps of barley that you have cut down. Do not chase her away. 16 You should also pull out some barley and drop it for her to pick up. Do not be angry with her.’

17 Ruth picked up grains in Boaz's field until evening. Then she hit the grains with a stick so that the seeds came out. The grains of barley that she took home filled a large basket. [ b ]

18 She carried the barley back to Naomi's home in the town. Naomi saw how much Ruth had picked up. Ruth also took the grains that she did not eat at the meal and she gave them to Naomi.

19 Naomi asked Ruth, ‘Where did you work today, to pick up all this barley? I want God to bless the man who was so kind to you.’ So Ruth told Naomi about the man whose field she had worked in. She said, ‘The man that I worked with today is called Boaz.’

20 Naomi said to Ruth, ‘He has been kind to us! He has thought about our husbands who have died and he has helped us who are still alive. I pray that the Lord will bless him in return. That man is our relative. He is one of our family-redeemers.’ [ c ]

21 Then Ruth said, ‘Boaz even said to me, “Stay with my workers until they have finished the work in my fields.” ’

22 Naomi said to Ruth, ‘Yes, my daughter, it will be good for you to work beside the young women in his fields. You will be safe there, but the workers in another field might hurt you.’

23 So Ruth worked beside Boaz's women workers until they finished the harvest of barley and wheat. She continued to live with Naomi.

Footnotes

  1. 2:3 When the workers cut the crops of grain in the fields, they did not take it all. They left some on the ground for poor people and foreign people to pick up. God's Law said that they must do that. See Leviticus 23:22 ; Deuteronomy 24:19-22 .
  2. 2:17 About 13 kilograms. This was a very large amount of seeds for one day's work.
  3. 2:20 A family-redeemer was the nearest male relative. If there were poor people in the family, he should take care of them. If his brother died, he had to marry his brother's wife. Someone in the family might have to sell themselves as a servant or as a slave. So the family-redeemer would buy them back. A poor person in the family might have to sell their land. So the family-redeemer would buy the land back so that the family would not lose its land. See Leviticus 25:25-55 ; Deuteronomy 25:5-10 .

Ruth Meets Boaz

2 There was a rich man named Boaz living in Bethlehem. Boaz was one of Naomi’s close relatives [ a ] from Elimelech’s family.

2 One day Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi, “I think I will go to the fields. Maybe I can find someone who will be kind to me and let me gather the grain they leave in their field.”

Naomi said, “Fine, daughter, go ahead.”

3 So Ruth went to the fields. She followed the workers who were cutting the grain and gathered the grain that was left. [ b ] It happened that part of the field belonged to Boaz, the man from Elimelech’s family.

4 Later, Boaz came to the field from Bethlehem and greeted his workers. He said, “The Lord be with you!”

And the workers answered, “And may the Lord bless you!”

5 Then Boaz spoke to his servant who was in charge of the workers. He asked, “Whose girl is that?”

6 The servant answered, “She is the Moabite woman who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She came early this morning and asked me if she could follow the workers and gather the grain that was left on the ground. She rested only a short time in that shelter.” [ c ]

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, child. Stay here in my field to gather grain for yourself. There is no need for you to go to any other field. Continue following behind my women workers. 9 Watch to see which fields they go into to cut the grain and follow them. I have warned the young men not to bother you. When you are thirsty, go and drink from the same water jug my men drink from.”

10 Then Ruth bowed very low to the ground. She said to Boaz, “I am a foreigner, so I am surprised you even noticed me.”

11 Boaz answered her, “I know about all the help you have given to your mother-in-law Naomi. I know you helped her even after your husband died. And I know that you left your father and mother and your own country and came here to this country. You did not know anyone from this country, but you came here with Naomi. 12 The Lord will reward you for all the good things you have done. The Lord , the God of Israel, will pay you in full. You have come to him for safety, [ d ] and he will protect you.”

13 Then Ruth said, “I hope I can continue to please you, sir. You are very kind. I am only a servant and not even one of your own servants. But you have said kind words to me and comforted me.”

14 At mealtime, Boaz told Ruth, “Come and eat some of our bread. Here, dip your bread in our vinegar.”

So Ruth sat down with the workers. Boaz gave her some roasted grain. Ruth ate until she was full, and there was some food left. 15 Then Ruth got up and went back to work.

Then Boaz told his servants, “Let Ruth gather even around the piles of grain. Don’t stop her. 16 And make her work easier by dropping some full heads of grain for her. Let her gather that grain. Don’t tell her to stop.”

Naomi Hears About Boaz

17 Ruth worked in the fields until evening. Then she separated the grain from the chaff. There was about one-half bushel [ e ] of barley. 18 Ruth carried the grain into town to show her mother-in-law what she had gathered. She also gave her the food that was left from lunch.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you gather all this grain? Where did you work? Bless the man who noticed you.”

Then Ruth told her who she had worked with. She said, “The man I worked with today is a man named Boaz.”

20 Naomi told her daughter-in-law, “The Lord bless him! He has continued showing his kindness to the living as well as the dead.” Then Naomi told her daughter-in-law, “Boaz is one of our relatives. He is one of our protectors. [ f ] ”

21 Then Ruth said, “Boaz also told me to come back and continue working. He said that I should work closely with his servants until the harvest is finished.”

22 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good for you to continue working with his women servants. If you work in another field, some man might hurt you.” 23 So Ruth continued working closely with the women servants of Boaz. She gathered grain until the barley harvest was finished. She also worked there through the end of the wheat harvest. Ruth continued living with her mother-in-law Naomi.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 2:1 close relatives If a man died without children, one of his close relatives would take the dead man’s wife so that she could have children. He would care for this family, but this family and their property would not belong to him. They would all be in the dead man’s name.
  2. Ruth 2:3 There was a law that a farmer must leave some grain in his field during harvest, so poor people and travelers could find something to eat. See Lev. 19:9; 23:22.
  3. Ruth 2:7 She … shelter Or “That is her house over there.”
  4. Ruth 2:12 You have … for safety Literally, “You have come under his wings for safety.”
  5. Ruth 2:17 one-half bushel Literally, “one ephah” (22 l).
  6. Ruth 2:20 protectors Or “redeemers,” those who cared for and protected the family of a dead relative. Often they bought back (redeemed) the poor relatives from slavery, making them free again.

2 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 Bethlehem, 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.

Ruth Gleans in Boaz’s Field

2 Now Naomi had [ a ] a relative of her husband, a [ b ] man of great wealth, of the family of ( A ) Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and ( B ) glean among the ears of grain following one in whose eyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and [ c ] she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “ ( C ) May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was [ d ] in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant [ e ] in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “ [ f ] Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but join my young women here. 9 Keep your eyes on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have ordered the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the [ g ] water jars and drink from what the servants draw.” 10 Then she ( D ) fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 ( E ) May the Lord reward your [ h ] work, and may your wages be full from the Lord , the God of Israel, ( F ) under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken [ i ] kindly to your servant, though I am not like one of your female servants.”

14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “ [ j ] Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied ( G ) and had some left. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not [ k ] insult her. 16 Also you are to purposely slip out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it so that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an [ l ] ephah of barley. 18 And she picked it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took some out and ( H ) gave [ m ] Naomi what she had left after [ n ] she was satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law then said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who ( I ) took notice of you be blessed.” 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 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “ ( J ) May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living and from the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative; he is one of our ( K ) redeemers.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “ [ o ] Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You are to stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, so that others do not assault you in another field.” 23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz in order to glean until ( L ) the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 2:1 Another reading is an acquaintance
  2. Ruth 2:1 Or mighty, valiant man
  3. Ruth 2:3 Lit her chance chanced upon
  4. Ruth 2:5 Lit appointed over
  5. Ruth 2:6 Lit who was appointed over
  6. Ruth 2:8 Lit Have you not heard
  7. Ruth 2:9 Lit vessels
  8. Ruth 2:12 Or behavior
  9. Ruth 2:13 Lit to the heart of your
  10. Ruth 2:14 Lit Come near here
  11. Ruth 2:15 Or harm
  12. Ruth 2:17 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  13. Ruth 2:18 Lit her
  14. Ruth 2:18 Lit her satiety
  15. Ruth 2:21 Lit Also that

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

2 Now Naomi had a relative ( A ) on her husband’s side, a man of standing ( B ) from the clan of Elimelek, ( C ) whose name was Boaz. ( D )

2 And Ruth the Moabite ( E ) said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain ( F ) behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor. ( G ) ”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. ( H ) As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. ( I )

4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you! ( J ) ”

“The Lord bless you! ( K ) ” they answered.

5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite ( L ) who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves ( M ) behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest ( N ) in the shelter.”

8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. ( O ) She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me ( P ) —a foreigner? ( Q ) ”

11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law ( R ) since the death of your husband ( S ) —how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know ( T ) before. ( U ) 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord , ( V ) the God of Israel, ( W ) under whose wings ( X ) you have come to take refuge. ( Y ) ”

13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, ( Z ) my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread ( AA ) and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

When she sat down with the harvesters, ( AB ) he offered her some roasted grain. ( AC ) She ate all she wanted and had some left over. ( AD ) 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves ( AE ) and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke ( AF ) her.”

17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed ( AG ) the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. [ a ] ( AH ) 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over ( AI ) after she had eaten enough.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you! ( AJ ) ”

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

20 “The Lord bless him! ( AK ) ” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. ( AL ) “He has not stopped showing his kindness ( AM ) to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; ( AN ) he is one of our guardian-redeemers. [ b ] ( AO ) ”

21 Then Ruth the Moabite ( AP ) said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley ( AQ ) and wheat harvests ( AR ) were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 2:17 That is, probably about 30 pounds or about 13 kilograms
  2. Ruth 2:20 The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55).
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