²⁵ “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.

¹⁵ When she and the members of her household^(A) were baptized,^(B) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

²² Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king.^(A) Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant’s request.”

⁴ Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!^(A)”

“The Lord bless you!^(B)” they answered.

⁷ And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. ⁸ On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.

⁹ Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.” ¹⁰ But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus^(A) (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.

² “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet^(A) and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”

“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”^(B)

³ But he insisted^(C) so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.^(D) He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast,^(E) and they ate.^(F)