Ruth 2:4-17
Expanded Bible
4 ·Soon [or Just then; L And look/T behold] Boaz came from Bethlehem and greeted his ·workers [reapers; harvesters], “The Lord be with you!”
And the workers answered, “May the Lord bless you!”
5 Then Boaz asked his ·servant [young man; foreman] in charge of the ·workers [reapers; harvesters], “·Whose girl is that [To whom does that young woman belong; C referring, in this patriarchal culture, to her husband or father]?”
6 The ·servant [young man; foreman] answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the ·country [land] of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me follow the ·workers cutting grain [reapers; harvesters] and ·gather what they leave behind [L glean among the sheaves/bundles].’ She came and has remained here, from morning until just now. She ·has stopped only a few moments [or just now stopped for a moment] to rest in the ·shelter [hut; house].”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “·Listen [L Have you not heard…?], my daughter. Don’t go to ·gather grain for yourself [glean] in another field. Don’t even leave this field at all, but ·continue following closely behind [stay close to; cling to] my ·women workers [servant girls; young women]. 9 Watch to see into which fields ·they [the men reaping; C the Hebrew pronoun is masculine] go to ·cut grain [reap] and follow ·them [the women gathering; C the Hebrew pronoun is feminine]. I ·have warned [or will warn] the young men not to ·bother [harass; touch] you. When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the water jugs that the young men have ·filled [L drawn (from the well)].”
10 Then Ruth bowed low with her face to the ground and said to him, “I am ·not an Israelite [L a foreigner]. Why have ·you been so kind to notice me [L I found favor/grace in your eyes]?”
11 Boaz answered her, “I ·know [have been fully informed] about all ·the help you have given [that you have done for] your mother-in-law after your husband died. You left your father and mother and your ·own country [native land] to come to a ·nation [people] where you did not know anyone. 12 May the Lord reward you for all you have done. May your wages be paid in full by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for shelter [C like a protective mother bird].”
13 Then Ruth said, “·I hope I can continue to please you [May I continue to find grace/favor in your eyes; or I have found favor/grace in your eyes], ·sir [my lord]. [L Because] You have ·said kind and encouraging words to [L comforted and spoken to the heart of] me, your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
14 At mealtime Boaz told Ruth, “Come here. Eat some of our bread and dip it in ·our sauce [the vinegar/wine-vinegar].”
So Ruth sat down beside the ·workers [reapers; harvesters]. Boaz ·handed [offered; served] her some roasted grain, and she ate until she was ·full [satisfied]; she even had some food left over. 15 When Ruth rose and went back to work, Boaz commanded his ·workers [young men], “Let her ·gather [glean] even around the ·piles of cut grain [sheaves]. Don’t ·tell her to go away [reprimand/insult/humiliate her]. 16 In fact, pull out some full heads of grain for her from the bundles and let her gather them. Don’t ·tell her to stop [rebuke/scold her].”
17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she ·separated the grain from the chaff [threshed/beat out what she had gleaned], and there was about ·one-half bushel [L an ephah; C about 30 pounds] of barley.
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