Ruth 3

1 And her mother-in-law Naomi says to her, “My daughter, do I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?

One day, Naomi said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, should I not seek to secure a home for you where you will be happy and prosperous?

2 And now, is not Boaz of our acquaintance, with whose young women you have been? Behold, he is winnowing the threshing-floor of barley tonight,

Is not Boaz, with whose girls you have been, a relative of ours?

3 and you have bathed, and anointed yourself, and put your garments on you, and gone down to the threshing-floor; do not let yourself be known to the man until he completes to eat and to drink;

Tonight he is going to winnow barley on the threshing-floor. So bathe and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

4 and it comes to pass, when he lies down, that you have known the place where he lies down, and have gone in, and uncovered his feet, and lain down—and he declares to you that which you do.”

Then when he lies down, mark the place where he lies. Go in, uncover his feet, lie down, and then he will tell you what to do.’

5 And she says to her, “All that you say—I do.”

‘I will do as you say.’ Ruth said to her.

6 And she goes down [to] the threshing-floor, and does according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her

So she went down to the threshing-floor and did just as her mother-in-law told her.

7 And Boaz eats and drinks, and his heart is glad; and he goes in to lie down at the end of the heap; and she comes in gently, and uncovers his feet, and lies down.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in a happy mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth came quietly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

8 And it comes to pass, at the middle of the night, that the man trembles, and turns himself, and behold, a woman is lying at his feet.

At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and there was a woman lying at his feet!

9 And he says, “Who [are] you?” And she says, “I [am] Ruth your handmaid, and you have spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you [are] a redeemer.”

‘Who are you?’ he said. ‘I am Ruth your servant,’ she answered, ‘Spread your cloak over your servant, for you are a near relative.’

10 And he says, “Blessed [are] you of YHWH, my daughter; you have dealt more kindly at the latter end than at the beginning—not to go after the young men, either poor or rich.

He said, ‘May you be blest by the Lord, my daughter. You have shown me greater favour now than at first, for you have not followed young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, do not fear, all that you say I do to you, for all the gate of my people knows that you [are] a virtuous woman.

My daughter, have no fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for the whole town knows that you are a virtuous woman.

12 And now, surely, true, that I [am] a redeemer, but also there is a redeemer nearer than I.

Now it is true that I am a near relative, but there is another man nearer than I.

13 Lodge tonight, and it has been in the morning, if he redeems you, well: he redeems; and if he does not delight to redeem you, then I have redeemed you—I; YHWH lives! Lie down until the morning.”

Stay here tonight, and then in the morning, if he will perform for you the duty of a kinsman, well, let him do it. But if he will not perform for you the duty of a kinsman, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will do it for you. Lie down until morning.’

14 And she lies down at his feet until the morning, and rises before one discerns another; and he says, “Let it not be known that the woman has come into the floor.”

So she lay at his feet until morning, but rose before anyone could recognise her, for Boaz said, ‘No one must know that a woman came to the threshing-floor.’

15 And he says, “Give the covering which [is] on you, and keep hold on it”; and she keeps hold on it, and he measures six [measures] of barley, and lays [it] on her; and he goes into the city.

He also said, ‘Bring the cloak which you have on and hold it.’ So she held it while he poured into it six measures of barley and laid it on her shoulders. Then he went into the city.

16 And she comes to her mother-in-law, and she says, “Who [are] you, my daughter?” And she declares to her all that the man has done to her.

When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, ‘Is it you, my daughter?’ Then Ruth told Naomi all that the man had done for her.

17 And she says, “These six [measures] of barley he has given to me, for he said, You do not go in empty to your mother-in-law.”

‘He gave me these six measures of barley,’ she said, ‘for he said I should not go to my mother-in-law empty-handed.’

18 And she says, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter falls, for the man does not rest except he has completed the matter today.”

‘Wait quietly, my daughter.’ Naomi said, ‘Until you know how the affair will turn out, for the man will not rest unless he settles it all today.’