< ルツ記 2 >

1 ナオミにその夫の知己あり 即ちエリメレクの族にして大なる力の人なり その名をボアズといふ
But there was a man related to Elimelech, a powerful man, and very wealthy, named Boaz.
2 茲にモアブの女ルツ、ナオミにいひけるは請ふわれをして田にゆかしめよ 我何人かの目のまへに恩をうることあらばその人の後にしたがひて穗を拾はんと ナオミ彼に女子よ往べしといひければ
And Ruth, the Moabite, said to her mother-in-law, “If you order, I will go into the field and gather the ears of grain which escape the reaping hand, wherever I will find favor with the father of a family, who will be compassionate to me.” She answered her, “Go, my daughter.”
3 乃ち往き遂に至りて刈者の後にしたがひ田にて穗を拾ふ 彼 意はずもエリメレクの族なるボアズの田の中にいたれり
And so she went and gathered the ears of grain after the completion of the reaping. But it happened that this field was owned by Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 時にボアズ、ベテレヘムより來り その刈者等刈者等に言ふ ねがはくはヱホバ汝等とともに在せと 彼等すなはち答てねがはくはヱホバ汝を祝たまへといふ
And behold, he came out of Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered him, “May the Lord bless you.”
5 ボアズその刈者を督る僕にいひけるは此は誰の女なるや
And Boaz said to the young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 刈者を督る人こたへて言ふ是はモアブの女にしてモアブの地よりナオミとともに還りし者なるが
He answered him, “This is the Moabite woman, who came with Naomi, from the land of the Moabites,
7 いふ請ふ我をして刈者の後にしたがひて禾束の間に穗をひろひあつめしめよと 而して來りて朝より今にいたるまで此にあり 其家にやすみし間は暫時のみ
and she asked to gather the remnants of the ears of grain, following the steps of the reapers, and from morning until now she has remained in the field, and, indeed, not for one moment has she returned home.”
8 ボアズ、ルツにいひけるは女子よ聽け 他の田に穗をひろひにゆくなかれ 又此よりいづるなかれわが婢等に離ずして此にをるべし
And Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen to me, daughter. Do not go to gather in any other field, nor depart from this place, but join with my young women,
9 人々の刈ところの田に目をとめてその後にしたがひゆけ 我 少者等に汝にさはるなかれと命ぜしにあらずや 汝渇く時は器の所にゆきて少者の汲るを飮めと
and follow where they reap. For I have given orders to my young men, so that no one is to harass you. And so, whenever you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from the waters that the young men also drink.”
10 彼すなはち伏して地に拜し之にいひけるは我 如何して汝の目の前に恩惠を得たるか なんぢ異邦人なる我を顧みると
She, falling on her face and paying homage on the ground, said to him: “How did this happen to me, that I should find favor before your eyes, and that you would condescend to accept me, a foreign woman?”
11 ボアズこたへて彼にいひけるは汝が夫の死にたるより巳來姑に盡したる事汝がその父母および生れたる國を離れて見ず識ずの民に來りし事皆われに聞えたり
He answered her, “Everything has been reported to me, what things you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, and how you left your parents, and the land in which you were born, and came to a people you did not know before.
12 ねがはくはヱホバ汝の行爲に報いたまへ ねがはくはイスラエルの神ヱホバ即ち汝がその翼の下に身を寄んとて來れる者汝に十分の報施をたまはんことを
May the Lord repay you for your work, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you have come, and under whose wings you have taken refuge.”
13 彼いひけるは主よ我をして汝の目の前に恩をえせしめたまへ 我は汝の仕女の一人にも及ざるに汝かく我を慰め斯 仕女に懇切に語りたまふ
She said, “I have found favor before your eyes, my lord, who has consoled me, and you have spoken to the heart of your handmaid, who is unlike one of your young women.”
14 ボアズかれにいひけるは食事の時は此にきたりてこのパンを食ひ且汝の食物をこの醋に濡せよと 彼すなはち刈者の傍に坐しければボアズ烘麥をかれに與ふ 彼くらひて飽き其 餘を懷む
And Boaz said to her, “When mealtime begins, come here, and eat bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” And so she sat beside the reapers, and she piled up parched grain for herself, and she ate and was satisfied, and carried off the leftovers.
15 かくて彼また穗をひろはんとて起あがりければボアズその少者に命じていふ 彼をして禾束の間にても穗をひろはしめよ かれを羞しむるなかれ
And then she arose from there, so as to gather the ears of grain, according to the custom. But Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “If she is even willing to reap with you, do not prevent her,
16 且手の穗を故に彼がために抽落しおきて彼に拾はしめよ 叱るなかれ
and purposely let fall some from your bundles, and allow them to remain, so that she may gather without blushing, and let no one rebuke her gathering.”
17 彼かく薄暮まで田に穗を拾ひてその拾ひし者を撲しに大麥一斗許ありき
And so she gathered in the field until evening. And striking and threshing with a staff what she had gathered, she found about the measure of an ephah of barley, that is, three measures.
18 彼すなはち之を携へて邑にいり姑にその拾ひし者を看せ且その飽きたる後に懷めおきたる者を取出して之にあたふ
Carrying this, she returned into the city and showed it to her mother-in-law. Moreover, she offered it to her and even gave her the leftovers of her food, with which she had been satisfied.
19 姑かれにいひけるは汝今日何處にて穗をひろひしや 何の處にて工作しや 願くは汝を眷顧たる者に福祉あれ 彼すなはち姑にその誰の所に工作しかを告げていふ 今日われに工作をなさしめたる人の名はボアズといふ
And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gathered today, and where have you found work? Blessed is he who took pity on you!” And she informed her with whom she had been working, and she said the man’s name, that he was called Boaz.
20 ナオミ媳にいひけるは願はヱホバの恩かれに至れ 彼は生ける者と死る者とを棄ずして恩をほどこす ナオミまた彼にいひけるは其人は我等に縁ある者にして我等の贖業者の一人なり
Naomi answered her, “May he be blessed by the Lord, because the same kindness which he provided for the living, he also kept for the dead.” And again she said: “This man is our near relative.”
21 モアブの女ルツいひけるは彼また我にかたりて汝わが穫刈の盡く終るまでわが少者の傍をはなるるなかれといへりと
And Ruth said, “He charged me with this also, that from now on I should join with his reapers until all the crop has been reaped.”
22 ナオミその媳ルツにいひけるは女子よ汝かれの婢等とともに出るは善し 然れば他の田にて人に見らるることを免かれん
And her mother-in-law said to her, “It is better, my daughter, to go out reaping with his young women, lest in a stranger’s field someone may confront you.”
23 是によりて彼ボアズの婢等の傍を離れずして穗をひろひ大麥刈と小麥刈の終にまでおよぶ 彼その姑とともにをる
And so, she joined with the young women of Boaz, and from then on reaped with them, until the barley and the wheat were stored in the barns.

< ルツ記 2 >