law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law: 'Go, return each of you to her mother's house; the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 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. 10 And they said unto her: 'Nay, but we will return with thee unto thy people.' 11 And Naomi said: "Turn back, my daughters; why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say: I have hope, should I even have a husband to-night, and also bear sons; 13 would ye tarry for them, till they were grown? would ye shut yourselves off for them and have no husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of the LORD is gone forth against me.' 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth cleaved unto her. 15 And she said: 'Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god; return thou after thy sister-inlaw.' 16 And Ruth said: 'Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; 17 where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.' 18 And when she

saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her. 19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was astir concerning them, and the women said: 'Is this Naomi?' 20 And she said unto them: 'Call me not Naomi, call me Marah; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me back home empty; why call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?' 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the field of Moab-and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

2

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's,

a mighty man of valour, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi: 'Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find favour.' And she said unto her: 'Go, my daughter.' 3 And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers: 'The LORD be with you.' And they answered him: "The LORD bless thee.' 5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers: 'Whose damsel is this?' 6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said: 'It is a Moabitish damsel that

came back with Naomi out of the field of Moab, 7 and she said: Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves; so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.' 8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth: P 'Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them; have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.' 10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed down h to the ground, and said unto him: 'Why have I found favour in thy sight, that thou shouldest take cognizance of me, seeing I am a foreigner?' 11 And Boaz answered and said unto her: 'It hath fully been told 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 unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The LORD recompense thy work, and be thy reward complete from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge.' 13 Then she said: 'Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken to the heart of thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.' 14 And Boaz said unto her at meal-time: 'Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers; and they reached

her parched corn, and she did eat and was satis-
fied, and left thereof. 15 And when she was
risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young
men, saying: ‘Let her glean even among the
sheaves, and put her not to shame. 16 And also
pull out some for her of purpose from the bun-
dles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke
her not.' 17 So she gleaned in the field until
even; and she beat out that which she had
gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 And she took it up, and went into the city;
and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned;
and she brought forth and gave to her that
which she had left after she was satisfied. 19 And
her mother-in-law said unto her: 'Where hast
thou gleaned to-day? and where wroughtest thou?
and blessed be he that did take knowledge of
thee.' And she told her mother-in-law with
whom she had wrought, and said: "The man's
name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz.'
20 And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law:
'Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left
off His kindness to the living and to the dead.'
And Naomi said unto her: "The man is nigh of
kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen.'

21 And Ruth the Moabitess said: 'Yea, he said unto me: Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.' 22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law: 'It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that thou be not met in any other field.' 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her motherin-law.

3

And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her: 'My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2 And now is there not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. 3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor; but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.' 5 And she said unto her: 'All that thou sayest unto me I will do.' 6 And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn; and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9 And he said: 'Who art thou?' And she answered: 'I am Ruth thy handmaid; spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.' 10 And he said: 'Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter; thou hast shown more kindness in the end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou didst not follow the young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the men in the gate of my people do know that thou art a virtuous woman.