Rut 2 | LSB | STEP | Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a mighty man of excellence, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

‏ Ruth 2

Ruth Gleans in Boaz’ Field

1 Now Naomi had ^{▼▼Or an acquaintance}a kinsman of her husband, a ^{▼▼Or mighty man of valor, cf. Judg 6:12; 11:1}mighty man of excellence, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one whom I may find favor in his eyes.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she went. And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And ^{▼▼Lit her chance chanced upon}it so happened that she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” And they said to him, “May Yahweh bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was ^{▼▼Lit appointed over}in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 The young man ^{▼▼Lit who was appointed over}in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Have you not heard, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but ^{▼▼Lit cling, cf. 1:14}stay here with my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the young men not to touch you. And if you are thirsty, go to the ^{▼▼Lit vessels}water jars and drink from what the young men draw.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, though I am a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you forsook your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 May Yahweh fully repay your work, and may your wages be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 13 Then she said, “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken to the heart of your servant-woman, though I am not like one of your servant-women.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “ ^{▼▼Lit Draw near}Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers; and he ^{▼▼Lit held out to}served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. 15 Then she rose to glean, and Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not dishonor her. 16 Also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and ^{▼▼Or forsake, cf. 1:16; 2:11, 20}leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ^{▼▼An ephah was approx. 21 qt. or 23 l}ephah of barley. 18 She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave ^{▼▼Lit her}Naomi what she had left after ^{▼▼Lit her satiety}she was satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law then said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you ^{▼▼Lit do, cf. 1:8, 17; 2:11}work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had ^{▼▼Lit done, cf. 1:8, 17; 2:11}worked and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of Yahweh who has not forsaken his lovingkindness to the living and to the dead.” Then Naomi said to her, “The man is ^{▼▼Lit near to us}our relative; he is one of our kinsman redeemers.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “ ^{▼▼Lit Also that}Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should ^{▼▼Lit cling, cf. 1:14; 2:8}stay close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, so that others do not oppress you in another field.” 23 So she ^{▼▼Lit clung, cf. 1:14; 2:8, 21}stayed close by the young women of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.