Jubilee2000 - Ruth

Chapter 1

1:1  Now it came to pass in the days when the judges governed that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

1:2  And the name of the man [was] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem of Judah. And they came into the fields of Moab and continued there.

1:3  And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons,

1:4  who took wives for themselves of the women of Moab; the name of the one [was] Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years.

1:5  And Mahlon and Chilion both died also; and the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

1:6  Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, to return from the fields of Moab, for she had heard in the field of Moab how the LORD had visited his people to give them bread.

1:7  Therefore she went forth out of the place where she had been and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

1:8  And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to thy mother's house; the LORD deal with you in mercy as ye have dealt with the dead and with me.

1:9  The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each [of you] in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept.

1:10  And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

1:11  And Naomi replied, Go back, my daughters; why must ye go with me? Do I have more sons in my womb that they may be your husbands?

1:12  Turn, my daughters, and go back, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I should say, I have hope, [if] I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

1:13  should ye tarry for them until they are grown? Should ye stay without husbands because of them? No, my daughters, for I have greater bitterness than you because the hand of the LORD has come out against me.

1:14  And they lifted up their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth cleaved unto her.

1:15  And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law.

1:16  And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee [or] to return from following after thee, for wherever thou goest, I will go; and wherever thou shalt lodge, I will lodge; thy people [shall be] my people and thy God my God.

1:17  Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; let the LORD do so unto me and let him give unto me that only death shall part thee and me.

1:18  When she saw that she was courageous to go with her, then she left off speaking to her.

1:19  So the two walked until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, entering into Bethlehem, that all the city was moved [because] of them, and they said, [Is] this Naomi?

1:20  And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

1:21  I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why [then] call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

1:22  So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the fields of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.:

Chapter 2

2:1  And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of strength, of the family of Elimelech, and his name [was] Boaz.

2:2  And Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean [ears of grain] after [him] in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

2:3  And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and it came to pass that her lot was to light on a part of the field [belonging] unto Boaz, who [was] of the kindred of Elimelech.

2:4  And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto the reapers, The LORD [be] with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.

2:5  Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel [is] this?

2:6  And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It [is] the damsel of Moab that came back with Naomi out of the fields of Moab;

2:7  and she has said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves; so she came and has continued from the morning until now except a short while that [she] was in the house.

2:8  Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hear, my daughter, do not glean in another field, nor leave here; thou shalt cleave to my maidens.

2:9  Look carefully upon the field that they reap and go after them, for I have charged the young men not to touch thee. And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink of [that] which the young men have drawn.

2:10  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 should acknowledge me, seeing I [am] a stranger?

2:11  And Boaz answered and said unto her, It has fully been showed 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 art come three days ago unto a people whom thou didst not know not before.

2:12  Let 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 cover thyself.

2:13  Then she said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, for thou hast comforted me and hast spoken unto the heart of thy handmaid though I am not like unto one of thy handmaidens.

2:14  And Boaz said unto her at mealtime, Come here and eat of the bread and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and he gave her of the pottage, and she ate and was satisfied, and [some was] left over.

2:15  And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her

2:16  and let fall also [some] of the handfuls on purpose for her and leave [them] that she may glean [them] and do not reprehend her.

2:17  So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

2:18  And she took [it] up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought forth that which had been left over after she had been satisfied and gave it to her.

2:19  And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today? Where hast thou worked? Blessed be he that acknowledged thee. And she declared unto her mother-in-law all that had happened to her with him and said, The man's name with whom I worked today [is] Boaz.

2:20  And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Let him be blessed of the LORD, who has not left off his mercy unto the living nor unto the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man [is] near of kin unto us, and of whom one has the right to redeem us.

2:21  And Ruth, the Moabitess, said, He also said unto me, Thou shalt cleave to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.

2:22  And Naomi replied unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, [It is] good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens that they not meet thee in any other field.

2:23  So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest and dwelt with her mother-in-law.:

Chapter 3

3:1  Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee?

3:2  And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.

3:3  Therefore, thou shalt wash thyself and anoint thyself and put thy raiment upon thee and go down to the threshingfloor, [but] do not make thyself known unto the man until he shall have finished eating and drinking.

3:4  And it shall be when he lies down that thou shalt perceive the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in and uncover his feet and lie down [there], and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.

3:5  And she said unto her, All that thou dost command me I will do.

3:6  And she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

3:7  And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap, and she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

3:8  And it came to pass at midnight that the man was startled and took hold, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

3:9  Then he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth, thy handmaid; spread therefore the edge [of thy mantle] over thy handmaid; for thou [art a] redeemer.

3:10  And he said, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD, my daughter, [for] thou hast shown more mercy in the end than at the first, not going after the young men, whether poor or rich.

3:11  And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do unto thee all that thou hast said, for all the city of my people know that thou [art] a valiant woman.

3:12  And now it is true that I [am thy] redeemer; however, there is [another] redeemer nearer than I ([in kinship]).

3:13  Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning [that] if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem thee, but if he does not wish to redeem, then I will redeem thee, [as] the LORD lives; lie down until the morning.

3:14  And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that the woman has come to the threshing floor.

3:15  Also he said, Bring the veil that [thou hast] upon thee and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six [measures] of barley and laid [it] on her, and she went into the city.

3:16  And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, What now, my daughter? And she told her all that had happened to her with the man.

3:17  And she said, He gave me these six [measures] of barley, saying, Do not go empty unto thy mother-in-law.

3:18  Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou shall know how the matter will fall, for that man will not rest until he has concluded the thing today.:

Chapter 4

4:1  And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and, behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke came by unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Come here and sit down. And he came and sat down.

4:2  Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit down here. And they sat down.

4:3  And he said unto the redeemer, Naomi, that is come again out of the field of Moab, sold a parcel of land, which [was] our brother Elimelech's,

4:4  and I decided to cause thee to know this and tell thee to take [it] before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem [it], redeem [it], but if thou wilt not redeem [it], [then] tell me that I may know, for [there is] no one to redeem [it] besides thee, and I after thee. And he said, I will redeem [it].

4:5  Then Boaz replied, The day that thou dost receive the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also receive Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

4:6  And the redeemer said, I cannot redeem [it] for myself lest I ruin my own inheritance; redeem thou; I cede my right to you, for I shall not be able to redeem [it].

4:7  Now for a long time in Israel there had been this custom concerning redemption or contracts, that for the confirmation of all matters: one plucked off his shoe and gave [it] to his neighbour, and this [was] a testimony in Israel.

4:8  Therefore, [the former owner of] the right of redemption said unto Boaz, Buy [it] thyself. So he drew off his shoe.

4:9  And Boaz said unto the elders and [unto] all the people, Ye [are] witnesses this day that I have bought all that [was] Elimelech's and all that [was] Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.

4:10  Moreover, I also take Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye [shall be] witnesses of this today.

4:11  And all the people that [were] in the gate and the elders, said, [We are] witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, who built the house of Israel; and be thou a man of valour in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem;

4:12  let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.

4:13  So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

4:14  And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed [be] the LORD, who has not left thee this day without a redeemer, whose name shall be famous in Israel.

4:15  And he shall be unto thee a restorer of [thy] soul and a sustainer in thy old age, for thy daughter-in-law, whom thou doth love, who is better to thee than seven sons, has given birth.

4:16  And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom and was his nurse.

4:17  And the women, her neighbours, named him, saying, There is a son born to Naomi, and they called his name Obed. This [is] the father of Jesse, the father of David.

4:18  Now these [are] the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,

4:19  and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,

4:20  and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,

4:21  and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,

4:22  and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.: