Ruth 2

Ruth Works in the Field of Boaz

2:1 Now Naomi¹ had a relative² on her husband’s side of the family named Boaz. He was a wealthy, prominent man from the clan of Elimelech.³ 2:2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go⁴ to the fields so I can gather⁵ grain behind whoever permits me to do so.”⁶ Naomi⁷ replied, “You may go, my daughter.” 2:3 So Ruth⁸ went and gathered grain in the fields⁹ behind the harvesters. Now she just happened to end up¹⁰ in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.

Boaz and Ruth Meet

2:4 Now at that very moment,¹¹ Boaz arrived from Bethlehem¹² and greeted¹³ the harvesters, “May the Lord be with you!” They replied,¹⁴ “May the Lord bless you!” 2:5 Boaz asked¹⁵ his servant¹⁶ in charge of the harvesters, “To whom does this young woman belong?”¹⁷ 2:6 The servant in charge of the harvesters replied, “She’s the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab. 2:7 She asked,¹⁸ ‘May I follow the harvesters and gather¹⁹ grain among the bundles?’²⁰ Since she arrived she has been working hard²¹ from this morning until now²² – except for²³ sitting²⁴ in the resting hut²⁵ a short time.”²⁶

2:8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully,²⁷ my dear!²⁸ Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not²⁹ go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside³⁰ my female workers.³¹ 2:9 Take note of³² the field where the men³³ are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers.³⁴ I will tell the men³⁵ to leave you alone.³⁶ When you are thirsty, you may go to³⁷ the water jars³⁸ and drink some of the water³⁹ the servants draw.”⁴⁰

2:10 Ruth⁴¹ knelt before him with her forehead to the ground⁴² and said to him, “Why are you so kind⁴³ and so attentive to me,⁴⁴ even though⁴⁵ I am a foreigner?”⁴⁶ 2:11 Boaz replied to her,⁴⁷ “I have been given a full report of⁴⁸ all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband – how you left⁴⁹ your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously.⁵⁰ 2:12 May the Lord reward your efforts!⁵¹ May your acts of kindness be repaid fully⁵² by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!”⁵³ 2:13 She said, “You really are being kind to me,⁵⁴ sir,⁵⁵ for you have reassured⁵⁶ and encouraged⁵⁷ me, your servant,⁵⁸ even though I am⁵⁹ not one of your servants!”⁶⁰

2:14 Later during the mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and have⁶¹ some food! Dip your bread⁶² in the vinegar!” So she sat down beside the harvesters. Then he handed⁶³ her some roasted grain. She ate until she was full and saved the rest.⁶⁴ 2:15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told⁶⁵ his male servants, “Let her gather grain even among⁶⁶ the bundles! Don’t chase her off!⁶⁷ 2:16 Make sure you pull out⁶⁸ ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don’t tell her not to!”⁶⁹ 2:17 So she gathered grain in the field until evening. When she threshed⁷⁰ what she had gathered, it came to about thirty pounds⁷¹ of barley!

Ruth Returns to Naomi

2:18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw⁷² how much grain⁷³ she had gathered. Then Ruth⁷⁴ gave her the roasted grain she had saved from mealtime.⁷⁵ 2:19 Her mother-in-law asked her,⁷⁶ “Where did you gather grain today? Where did you work? May the one who took notice of you be rewarded!”⁷⁷ So Ruth⁷⁸ told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. She said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 2:20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be rewarded by the Lord because he⁷⁹ has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!”⁸⁰ Then Naomi said to her, “This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian.”⁸¹ 2:21 Ruth the Moabite replied, “He even⁸² told me, ‘You may go along beside my servants⁸³ until they have finished gathering all my harvest!’”⁸⁴ 2:22 Naomi then said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you should go out to work with his female servants.⁸⁵ That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field.”⁸⁶ 2:23 So Ruth⁸⁷ worked beside⁸⁸ Boaz’s female servants, gathering grain until the end of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest.⁸⁹ After that she stayed home with her mother-in-law.⁹⁰

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