Ruth 3:8-18

Christian Standard Bible

⁸ At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! ⁹ So he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied. “Take me under your wing,^[a](A) for you are a family redeemer.”^(B)

¹⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord bless you,^(C) my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before,^[b] because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. ¹¹ Now don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say,^[c] since all the people in my town^[d] know that you are a woman of noble character.^{(D) 12} Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am. ¹³ Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that’s good.^(E) Let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives,^(F) I will. Now lie down until morning.”

¹⁴ So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark.^[e] Then Boaz said, “Don’t let it be known that a^[f] woman came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ And he told Ruth, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and hold it out.” When she held it out, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl, and she^[g] went into the town.

¹⁶ She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “What happened,^[h] my daughter?”

Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said,^[i] ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

¹⁸ Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won’t rest unless he resolves this today.”