¹¹ But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?^{(A) 12} Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— ¹³ would you wait until they grew up?^(B) Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter^(C) for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!^(D)”

¹⁴ At this they wept^(E) aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law^(F) goodbye,^(G) but Ruth clung to her.^(H)

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law^(I) is going back to her people and her gods.^(J) Go back with her.”

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you^(K) or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,^(L) and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people^(M) and your God my God.^{(N) 17} Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(O) if even death separates you and me.”^{(P) 18} When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.^(Q)

⁸ So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. ⁹ Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

¹⁰ At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground.^(A) She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me^(B)—a foreigner?^(C)”

¹¹ Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law^(D) since the death of your husband^(E)—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know^(F) before.^{(G) 12} May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord,^(H) the God of Israel,^(I) under whose wings^(J) you have come to take refuge.^(K)”

¹³ “May I continue to find favor in your eyes,^(L) my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread^(M) and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

When she sat down with the harvesters,^(N) he offered her some roasted grain.^(O) She ate all she wanted and had some left over.^{(P) 15} As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves^(Q) and don’t reprimand her. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke^(R) her.”

²² Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”