Ruth 2

There was a man {there} who was a relative of Naomi’s {dead} husband, Elimelech. He was rich and important, and a member of the same clan to which Elimelech belonged. The man’s name was Boaz.

Ruth (the woman from Moab) said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the grain that the harvesters leave behind. I will go behind any harvester who allows me to do so.” Naomi replied, “Go ahead, my daughter.” \*

So Ruth went. When she got to the fields, she followed the harvesters and picked up grain. The part of the field that she was working in just happened to belong to Boaz, Elimelek’s relative.

Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem! He greeted the harvesters, “May God be with you!” They replied, “May God bless you!” \*

Then Boaz {saw Ruth, and} asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman related to?”

The foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who accompanied Naomi when she returned from there.

The woman said to me, ‘Please let me pick up the grain that the men who are harvesting leave behind.’ {I allowed her to do so.} She has worked since early this morning until recently, when she rested for a short time under the shelter.”

Then Boaz {walked over to where Ruth was and} said to Ruth, “Young lady, please listen to me. You do not need to go to any other field or anywhere else to gather grain. You should stay right here with my servant girls.

Watch where the men are harvesting and follow along behind my servant girls. I have told the men {who are harvesting} not to molest you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and get some water to drink from the jars that the men have filled.” \*

Then she knelt before him {in respect} with her forehead touching the ground. She exclaimed, “Why are you being so kind to me? I did not think that you would pay any attention to me, since I am a foreigner!”

Boaz replied, “People have told me everything that you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. They told me that you left your parents and your homeland, and that you came here to live among people whom you did not know previously.

I pray that God will fully repay you for what you have done. Yes, may God, the God of Israel, the one whom you are trusting to protect you, reward you in full.” \*

She replied, “Sir, I hope I will continue to please you. You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, your servant, and yet I am not even {worthy to be} one of your servant girls!” \*

When it was time to eat, Boaz said to Ruth, “Come over here {and get some food}. Take some of this bread and dip it in the vinegar and eat it.” So she {came and} sat down with the harvesters. Then he gave her some roasted grain. She ate all {the food} that she wanted and had some left over. \*

After she stood up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his workers, “Even if she gathers some grain near the bundles of grain {that you have cut}, do not tell her to stop doing that.

Even more than that, I want you to pull out some stalks of grain from the bundles and leave them {on the ground} for her to pick up—and do not scold her.” \*

So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley that she had gathered{, to separate the kernels from the stalks}. The barley kernels were enough to fill a large basket.

She carried it back to town and showed her mother-in-law how much she had gathered. Ruth also gave her mother-in-law the roasted grain that she had left over after she had eaten all that she had wanted {at lunchtime}. \*

Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you gather all this grain today? In whose field did you work? I pray that God will bless the man who was so kind to you.” Then Ruth told her about the person with whom she had worked. She said, “The name of the man who owns the field where I worked today is Boaz.”

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May God bless him! God has continued to act faithfully toward {us} who are still living, and to {our husbands} who have died.” Then Naomi said, “That man is a close relative {of Elimelek}. In fact, he is one of those responsible for taking care of our family.” \*

Then Ruth, the woman from Moab, said, “He also told me to stay with his workers until they are done bringing in all his grain from the field.”

Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it will be good for you to go {to his field} with his servant girls, because if you go to someone else’s field, someone might assault you.” \*

So Ruth worked alongside of Boaz’s servant girls. She gathered heads of grain until the workers had finished harvesting both the barley and the wheat. {During that time,} she continued to live with Naomi. \*