³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[a](A)

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you^(A) or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,^(B) and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people^(C) and your God my God.^{(D) 17} Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(E) if even death separates you and me.”^(F)

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?^(A)

²² Joshua said to the two men^(A) who had spied out^(B) the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.^(C)” ²³ So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her.^(D) They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then they burned the whole city^(E) and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron^(F) into the treasury of the Lord’s house.^{(G) 25} But Joshua spared^(H) Rahab the prostitute,^(I) with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho^(J)—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

Rahab and the Spies

2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies^(A) from Shittim.^(B) “Go, look over^(C) the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.^(D)” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab^(E) and stayed there.

² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab:^(F) “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men^(G) and hidden them.^(H) She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,^(I) they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”^{(J) 6} (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax^(K) she had laid out on the roof.)^{(L) 7} So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan,^(M) and as soon as the pursuers^(N) had gone out, the gate was shut.

⁸ Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof^{(O) 9} and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear^(P) of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up^(Q) the water of the Red Sea^[a] for you when you came out of Egypt,^(R) and what you did to Sihon and Og,^(S) the two kings of the Amorites^(T) east of the Jordan,^(U) whom you completely destroyed.^{[b](V) 11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear^(W) and everyone’s courage failed^(X) because of you,^(Y) for the Lord your God^(Z) is God in heaven above and on the earth^(AA) below.

¹² “Now then, please swear to me^(AB) by the Lord that you will show kindness^(AC) to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign^{(AD) 13} that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them^(AE)—and that you will save us from death.”

¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!”^(AF) the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully^(AG) when the Lord gives us the land.”

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope^(AH) through the window,^(AI) for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hills^(AJ) so the pursuers^(AK) will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days^(AL) until they return, and then go on your way.”^(AM)

¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath^(AN) you made us swear will not be binding on us ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord^(AO) in the window^(AP) through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family^(AQ) into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads;^(AR) we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head^(AS) if a hand is laid on them. ²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.^(AT)”

²¹ “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord^(AU) in the window.^(AV)

²² When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days,^(AW) until the pursuers^(AX) had searched all along the road and returned without finding them.

²² So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite,^(A) her daughter-in-law,^(B) arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest^(C) was beginning.^(D)

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

2 Now Naomi had a relative^(E) on her husband’s side, a man of standing^(F) from the clan of Elimelek,^(G) whose name was Boaz.^(H)

² And Ruth the Moabite^(I) said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain^(J) behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.^(K)”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” ³ So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters.^(L) As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.^(M)

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

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

⁴ They married Moabite women,^(A) one named Orpah and the other Ruth.^(B) After they had lived there about ten years,