Add parallel Print Page Options

And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek [a]rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said unto her, All that thou [b]sayest I will do.

And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was [c]afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art [d]a near kinsman. 10 And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the [e]city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. 13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah liveth: lie down until the morning.

14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. 15 And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and [f]he went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, [g]Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. 17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he [h]said, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law. 18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 3:1 Or, a resting-place
  2. Ruth 3:5 Another reading is, sayest unto me.
  3. Ruth 3:8 Or, startled
  4. Ruth 3:9 Or, one that hath the right to redeem. Hebrew goel.
  5. Ruth 3:11 Hebrew gate. See 4:1, 11.
  6. Ruth 3:15 According to Vulgate and Syriac, she went.
  7. Ruth 3:16 Or, How hast thou fared
  8. Ruth 3:17 Another reading is, said to me.

Ruth’s Appeal to Boaz

Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find security for you, so that you will be taken care of? Now isn’t Boaz our relative?(A) Haven’t you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfumed oil, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do.”

So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.”[a] She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her. After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits,[b] he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley. Then she went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

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

“I am Ruth, your slave,” she replied. “Spread your cloak[c] over me,(B) for you are a family redeemer.”(C)

10 Then he said, “May the Lord bless you,(D) my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before,[d] 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,[e] since all the people in my town[f] know that you are a woman of noble character.(E) 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.(F) Let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives,(G) 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.[g] Then Boaz said, “Don’t let it be known that a[h] 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[i] went into the town.

16 She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “How did it go,[j] 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,[k] ‘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.”

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 3:5 Alt Hb tradition reads say to me
  2. Ruth 3:7 Lit and his heart was glad
  3. Ruth 3:9 Or Spread the edge of your garment; lit Spread the wing of your garment; Ru 2:12
  4. Ruth 3:10 Lit kindness at the last than at the first
  5. Ruth 3:11 Some Hb mss, Orig, Syr, Tg, Vg read say to me
  6. Ruth 3:11 Lit all the gate of my people
  7. Ruth 3:14 Lit up before a man could recognize his companion
  8. Ruth 3:14 LXX; MT reads the
  9. Ruth 3:15 Some Hb mss, Aram, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read he
  10. Ruth 3:16 Lit Who are you
  11. Ruth 3:17 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Syr, Tg read said to me