Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth; and his
name was Boaz.
And Ruth said unto Naomi, "Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of
corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace." And Naomi answered,
"Go, my daughter."
And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and
her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz.
And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto the reapers, "The
Lord be with you."
And the reapers answered him, "The Lord bless thee." Then said Boaz unto
his servant that was set over the reapers, "Whose damsel is this?"
And the servant answered and said, "It is the Moabitish damsel that came
back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. And she said, 'I pray you,
let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves': so she
came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she
tarried a little in the house."
Boaz said unto Ruth, "Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in
another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens.
Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after
them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee?
and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which
the young men have drawn."
[Illustration: RUTH GLEANING]
Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto
him, "Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take
knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?"
And Boaz answered and said unto her, "It hath fully been shewed me, all
that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine
husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land
of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not
heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given
thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
trust."
Then she said, "Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou
hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine
handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens."
And Boaz said unto her, "At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the
bread and dip thy morsel in the vinegar."
And she sat beside the reapers; and he reached her parched corn, and she
did eat, and was sufficed and left.
And when she was risen up to glean again, Boaz commanded his young men,
saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves and reproach her not; and
let fall also some handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them that she
may glean them, and rebuke her not."
So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had
gleaned: and it was about an ephah[148-2] of barley. And she took it up,
and went into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.
And her mother-in-law said unto her, "Where hast thou gleaned to-day?
and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of
thee."
And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said,
"The man's name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz."
And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the Lord, who
hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead." And Naomi
said unto her, "The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next
kinsmen."
And Ruth the Moabitess said, "He said unto me also, 'Thou shalt keep
fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.'"
And Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter,
that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other
field."
So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley
harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother-in-law.