Ruth 2
1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side whose name was Boaz. He was a rich and influential man from the family of Elimelech.
Now, Naomi, had an acquaintance of her husband’s, a man of great integrity, of the family of Elimelech, —whose name, was Boaz.
2 Soon after Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the fields and pick up grain that's been left behind—if I can find someone will give me permission.” “Yes, go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi—Let me go, I pray thee, to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose eyes I may find favour. And she said to her—Go, my daughter.
3 So she went and picked up grain the reapers had left behind. She happened to be working in a field that belonged to Boaz, a relative of Elimelech.
So she went her way, and came, and gleaned in the field, after the reapers, —and it happened to her, to light upon the portion of field-land belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
4 Later on Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you!” They replied, “The Lord bless you!”
And lo! Boaz coming from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, Yahweh, be with you! and they said to him, Yahweh bless thee!
5 Then Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Who is this young woman related to?”
Then said Boaz to his young man, that was set over the reapers, —Whose is this maiden?
6 “The young woman is a Moabite who came back with Naomi from Moab,” the servant replied.
And the young man that was set over the reapers answered and said, —The Moabitish maiden, is she who came back with Naomi, out of the country of Moab;
7 “She asked me, ‘Please may I have permission to pick up grain behind the reapers.’ So she came, and she's been working here from morning until now, except for a brief rest in the shelter.”
and she said—Let me glean, I pray thee, and gather among the sheaves, after the reapers; so she came in, and hath continued from that time, all the morning until just now, and hath not rested in the house, for a little.
8 Boaz went and spoke to Ruth. “Listen to me, my daughter,” he told her. “Don't leave to go and pick up grain in someone else's field. Stay close to my women.
And Boaz said unto Ruth—Hearest thou not, my daughter? Do not go to glean in any other field, neither indeed shalt thou pass on, from hence, —but, here, shalt thou keep fast by my maidens:
9 Pay attention to what part of the field the men are reaping and follow the women. I've told the men not to bother you. When you get thirsty, go and have a drink from the water jars the servants have filled.”
thine eyes, be on the field which they shall reap, and go thou after them, Have I not commanded the young men, that they touch thee not? And, when thou art athirst, then go unto the vessels, and drink of what the young men shall draw.
10 She bowed down with her face to the ground. “Why are you being so kind to me or even notice me, seeing I'm a foreigner?” she asked him.
Then she fell upon her face, and bowed herself to the ground, —and said unto him—Wherefore have I found favour in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take notice of me, seeing that, I, am, a stranger?
11 “I've heard about all you've done for your mother-in-law since your husband died,” Boaz replied. “And also how you left your father and mother, and the land of your birth, to come and live among people you didn't know.
And Boaz answered, and said to her, It hath been, told, me—all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law, since the death of thy husband, —and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and come unto a people whom thou knewest not, aforetime.
12 May the Lord fully reward you for all you've done—the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you've come for protection.
Yahweh recompense thy deed, —and let thy reward be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel, unto whom thou hast come to take refuge under his wings.
13 Thank you for being so good to me, sir,” she replied. “You have reassured me by speaking to me kindly. I'm not even one of your servants.”
And she said—Let me find favour in thine eyes, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken unto the heart of thy handmaid, —though, I, be not as, one of thine own handmaidens.
14 When it was time to eat, Boaz called her over. “Come here,” he said. “Take some bread and dip it in wine vinegar.” So she sat down with the workers and Boaz passed her some roasted grain to eat. She ate until she'd had enough with some left over.
And Boaz said to her at mealtime—Draw nigh hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. So she sat beside the reapers, and there was reached to her parched corn, and she did eat and was satisfied, and left thereof remaining.
15 After Ruth went back to work Boaz told his men, “Let her pick up grain even among the sheaves. Don't say anything to embarrass her.
And, when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying—Even between the sheaves, let her glean, and reproach her not;
16 In fact, pull out some stalks from the bundles you're cutting and leave them for her to pick up. Don't tell her off.”
yea moreover, draw out, for her, from the bundles, —and leave behind that she may glean it, and rebuke her not.
17 Ruth worked in the field until the evening. When she beat out the grain that she had picked up it was a large amount.
So she gleaned in the field, until the evening, —and beat out that which she had gleaned, and there was about an ephah of barley.
18 She picked it up and took it back to town to show her mother-in-law how much she had collected. Ruth also gave her what she had left over from her meal.
And she took it up, and came into the city, and, when her mother-in-law had seen what she had gleaned, she brought forth and gave her what had been left remaining, after that she was satisfied.
19 Naomi asked her, “Where did you pick up grain today? Exactly where did you work? Bless whoever cared enough about you to pay you some attention!” So she told her mother-in-law about who she had worked with. “The man I worked with today is called Boaz.”
And her mother-in-law said to her—In what place hast thou gleaned, today? and where hast thou wrought? May he that took notice of thee, be blessed! So she told her mother-in-law, with whom she had wrought, and said—The name of the man with whom I wrought today, is Boaz.
20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi exclaimed to her daughter-in-law. “He goes on showing his kindness to the living and the dead. That man is a close relative to us—a ‘family redeemer.’”
Then said Naomi, to her daughter-in-law—Blessed, be he of Yahweh, who hath not left off his lovingkindness to the living, and to the dead. And Naomi said to her—Near to us, is the man, of our own kinsmen, is he!
21 Ruth added, “He also told me, ‘Stay close to my workers until they have finished harvesting my entire crop.’”
And Ruth the Moabitess said, —Yea for he said unto me—By my young men, shalt thou keep fast, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 “That's good, my daughter,” Naomi told Ruth. “Stay with his women workers. Don't go to other fields where you might be molested.”
And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, —Good, is it, my daughter, that thou go forth with his maidens, and that they meet thee not, in any other field.
23 So Ruth stayed with Boaz' women workers picking up grain until the end of the barley harvest, and then on to the end of the wheat harvest. She lived with her mother-in-law the whole time.
So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean, until the end of the barley harvest, and the wheat harvest, —and dwelt with her mother-in-law.
