¹⁵ And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to ^(A)her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” ¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. ^(B)Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. ^(C)May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” ^18 (D)And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

Naomi and Ruth Return

¹⁹ So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, ^(E)the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;^[a] call me ^(F)Mara,^[b] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ^21 (G)I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. ⁷ And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and ^(A)his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. ⁸ At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! ⁹ He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. ^(B)Spread your wings^[a] over your servant, for you are ^(C)a redeemer.” ¹⁰ And he said, ^(D)“May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than ^(E)the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are ^(F)a worthy woman. ¹² And now it is true that I am ^(G)a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. ¹³ Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will ^(H)redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, ^(I)as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”