{N}YOUR GOD WILL BE MY GOD{/}

{1}1{/}

[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}There was a famine in the  land during the time of the 
Judges, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah departed with his wife 
and two sons to sojourn in the country of Moab. {R}_{I}2_{/}The man was 
Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion. 
They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. A little later, after 
they had settled in Moab, {I}3_{/}Naomi's husband Elimelech died. She 
was left with her two sons, [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}who married Moabite women, 
one named Orpah and the other Ruth.
After living in Moab for about ten years, {I}5_{/}Mahlon and Chilion 
also died and Naomi was left bereft of husband and two sons. 
{R}_{I}6_{/}Having heard that Yahweh had come to help his people by 
giving them food, Naomi prepared to return home. {R}_{I}7_{/}With her two 
daughters-in-law, she took the road back to Judah.
{R}_{I}8_{/}It was then that Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, "Go 
back, each of you, to your mother's house. And may Yahweh be kind 
to you, as you have been to your dead and to me. {I}9_{/}May he also 
grant each of you rest in the home of another husband." She kissed 
them goodbye. But they wept aloud {I}10_{/}and said to her, "No, we 
will go back with you to your people."
[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why should you 
come with me, when I have no more sons to become your husbands? 
{R}_{I}12_{/}Return home, my daughters. I am now too old to marry again. 
Even if I hope to have a husband tonight and give birth to sons, 
{I}13_{/}would you remain unmarried waiting for them to grow up? No, 
my daughters. I won't share my lot with you for it is too bitter. 
Yahweh's hand has been raised against me!"
{R}_{I}14_{/}Again they sobbed and wept. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-
law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. {R}_{I}15_{/}Naomi said, "Look, your 
sister-in-law returns to her people and her gods. You too must 
return. Go after her."
{R}_{I}16_{/}Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you. For I will go 
where you go and stay where you stay. Your people will be my 
people and your god, my God. {R}_{I}17_{/}Where you die, there will I die 
and be buried. May Yahweh deal with me severely if anything except 
death separates us." {R}_{I}18_{/}Realizing that Ruth was determined to 
go with her, Naomi stopped urging her.
{R}_{I}19_{/}So the two went on till they reached Bethlehem. Their 
arrival set the town astir. Women asked, "Can this be Naomi?" 
{I}20_{/}She said to them, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara for 
Yahweh has made life bitter for me. {I}21_{/}I came away full but go 
back empty. Why call me Naomi, when Yahweh has afflicted me?"
{R}_{I}22_{/}Thus it was that Naomi returned from Moab with her Moabite 
daughter-in-law and arrived in Bethlehem as the barley harvest 
began.

{N}RUTH GLEANS IN THE FIELD OF BOAZ{/}

{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}Naomi had a well-to-do kinsman, Boaz, from the clan of her 
husband Elimelech. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, 
"Let me go to pick up the left-over grain in the field whose owner 
will allow me that favor." Naomi said, "Go ahead, my daughter." 
{I}3_{/}So she went to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. It 
happened that the field she entered belonged to Boaz of the clan 
of Elimelech.
[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}When Boaz came from Bethlehem, he greeted the harvesters, 
"Yahweh be with you." They returned the greeting, "Yahweh bless 
you."
{R}_{I}5_{/}Noticing Ruth, Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, "To 
whom does that young woman belong?"
{I}6_{/}The foreman replied, "She is the Moabite who came back with 
Naomi from the country of Moab. {I}7_{/}She came this morning and 
asked leave to glean behind the harvesters. Since then she has 
been working without a moment's rest."
{R}_{I}8_{/}Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don't go away from 
here to glean in anyone else's field. Stay here with my women 
servants. {R}_{I}9_{/}See where the harvesters are and follow behind. I 
have ordered the men not to molest you. They have filled some jars 
with water. Go there and drink when you are thirsty." 
[=]_{I}10_{/}Bowing down with her face to the ground, she exclaimed, 
"Why have I, a foreigner, found such favor in your eyes?"
{R}_{I}11_{/}Boaz answered, "I have been told all about you - what you 
have done for your mother-in-law since your husband's death, how 
you have gone with her, leaving your own father and mother and 
homeland, to live with a people you knew nothing about before you 
came here. {R}_{I}12_{/}May Yahweh reward you for this! May you receive 
full recompense from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings 
you have come for refuge!"
{R}_{I}13_{/}Ruth said, "May I prove worthy of your favor, my lord. You 
have consoled your servant with your kind words, though I am not 
the equal of your maidservants."
{I}14_{/}Boaz called her at mealtime, "come over, have some bread and 
dip it in the wine." As she sat among the reapers, he handed her 
some roasted grain. She ate her fill and had some left over.
{I}15_{/}When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his men, "Let her 
glean even among the sheaves and do not scold her. [=]_{I}16_{/}And 
pull some stalks from the bundles; leave them scattered for her to 
glean." {I}17_{/}She worked until evening and when she threshed what 
she had gleaned it amounted to about an ephah. {R}_{I}18_{/}Ruth carried 
back to town the threshed barley, which she showed to her mother-
in-law. She also gave her what she had left over from lunch.
{R}_{I}19_{/}Naomi asked her daughter-in-law, "Where did you glean today? 
Where did you work? May the man who took notice of you be 
blessed." Ruth told her mother-in-law about the owner of the field 
where she had worked. "His name is Boaz," she said. {R}_{I}20_{/}Naomi 
exclaimed, "May Yahweh bless him! God indeed is merciful both to 
the living and the dead. This man is a close relative, one with a 
right of redemption over us."
{R}_{I}21_{/}Ruth continued, "He even told me to stay with his servants 
until they finish harvesting the grain." {I}22_{/}Naomi said, "It will 
be better for you, my daughter, to go out with his maidservants 
than to go working in some other field where harm might come to 
you."
{R}_{I}23_{/}Ruth, therefore, stayed close to the maidservants of Boaz, 
gleaning until the end of the wheat and barley harvests. And she 
continued living with her mother-in-law.

{N}SHE WENT AND LAY DOWN AT HIS FEET{/}

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Later Naomi talked to Ruth: "My daughter, is it not my 
duty to see you settled in a home where you will be well provided 
for? {I}2_{/}And is not Boaz, who has treated you kindly with his 
maidservants, a close relative of ours? Tonight at the threshing 
floor, he will be winnowing barley. [=]_{I}3_{/}So bathe and perfume 
yourself, then put on your best clothes and go down to the 
threshing floor. But don't make yourself known to{I}_{/}him till he 
has finished eating and drinking. {I}4_{/}Take note of the place where 
he lies down to sleep. Then go, uncover his feet and lie down 
there. He will tell you what to do."
{R}_{I}5_{/}Ruth answered, "I will do as you say." {R}_{I}6_{/}She went down to 
the threshing floor and did as her mother-in-law told her.
{R}_{I}7_{/}Feeling happy after eating and drinking, Boaz went to lie 
down at the end of the pile of grain. Ruth then approached 
quietly, turned back the covering of his feet and lay there. 
{R}_{I}8_{/}At midnight the man awoke when he turned over and felt 
someone lying at his feet. He got up and was startled to find a 
woman there. {R}_{I}9_{/}"Who are you?" he asked.
The answer came, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread the corner of 
your cloak over me for you are a kinsman who has right of 
redemption over me." {I}10_{/}Boaz said, "May Yahweh bless you, my 
daughter! This kindness of yours now is even greater than that 
which you have shown earlier, for you have not gone after young 
men, rich or poor. {I}11_{/}Have no fear, my daughter; I will do for 
you all that you ask, since all my townsmen know that you are a 
worthy woman. {I}12_{/}It is true that I am a close relative, but 
there is another still closer. [=]_{I}13_{/}Stay here for the night. 
In the morning, if he wants to claim you - good! But if not - as 
surely as Yahweh lives - I will claim you myself. Lie here till 
morning."
{I}14_{/}She lay at his feet till morning and got up before anyone 
could be recognized. For Boaz said, "It must not be known that a 
woman came to the threshing floor." {R}_{I}15_{/}Then turning to Ruth, 
Boaz said, "Hold out the mantle you are wearing." She did so and 
he poured into it six measures of barley. He helped her lift the 
bundle, then went back to town.
{R}_{I}16_{/}Ruth returned home to her mother-in-law, who asked, "How did 
you fare, my daughter?" She told her everything {R}_{I}17_{/}and added, 
"He gave me these six measures of barley because, as he said, he 
did not want me to go back to my mother-in-law empty-handed."
{I}18_{/}Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, till you learn what happens, 
for he will not rest until it is settled today."

{N}THE LEVIRATE LAW{/}

{1}4{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}Meanwhile Boaz went to the  town gate and sat there waiting 
for the closer relative about whom he had spoken to Ruth. When he 
saw him coming, he called him by name and said, "Come here and sit 
down." And so he did.
{I}2_{/}Boaz picked out ten from the city elders and asked them to sit 
with them, which they did. {R}_{I}3_{/}Then he said to the other man who 
also had right of redemption, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, 
is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother 
Elimelech. {R}_{I}4_{/}I thought of bringing this matter to you before 
our elders here, because as the closer kin you have more right to 
lay claim to it. But if you have no wish to redeem it, let me know 
because I am next to you in line."
The man replied, "I am willing to put in my claim. I will redeem 
it." {R}_{I}5_{/}Boaz continued, "If you buy the land from Naomi, you 
will also have to take the Moabite Ruth, widow of the late heir, 
and her sons will inherit the name and the land of the dead."
{R}_{I}6_{/}The man said, "Then I cannot redeem it, because I might 
endanger my own estate. Redeem it yourself."
{R}_{I}7_{/}It used to be the custom in Israel that for a contract of 
redemption or exchange to become binding, one party had to take 
off his sandal and give it to the other. This act legalized 
transactions.
{R}_{I}8_{/}So the man took off his sandal and said to Boaz, "Buy it 
yourself."
{I}9_{/}Boaz turned to the elders and all those present. "This day you 
are witnesses that I buy from Naomi all the holdings of Elimelech, 
Chilion and Mahlon. {R}_{I}10_{/}I also take Mahlon's widow, Ruth the 
Moabite, as my wife to raise up a family for her late husband, so 
that the name of the dead will be restored to his inheritance and 
be present among his brothers when they gather at the gate of his 
town. Do you witness this today?"
{R}_{I}11_{/}The elders and all those at the gate answered, "We witness. 
May Yahweh make the woman coming into your house like Rachel and 
Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you prosper 
in Ephrathah and be of good standing in Bethlehem. {R}_{I}12_{/}And 
through the offspring Yahweh will give you by this woman, may your 
house become like that of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah."

{N}OBED WAS THE FATHER OF JESSE, WHO WAS DAVID'S FATHER{/}

{R}_{I}13_{/}So Ruth was taken by Boaz and became his wife. Yahweh made 
her conceive and give birth to a son. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}The women said to 
Naomi, "Blessed be Yahweh who has provided you today with an heir. 
May he become famous in Israel! [=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}He will be your comfort 
and stay in your old age, for he is born of a daughter-in-law who 
loves you and is worth more than seven sons."
{I}16_{/}Naomi took the child as her own and became his nurse. 
{I}17_{/}And the women of the neighborhood gave him his name, saying, 
"A son has been born for Naomi." They named him Obed. He{I}_{/}was the 
father of Jesse, who was David's father.
[=]_{I}18_{/}This, then, is Perez's family line:
Perez was the father of Hezron, {I}19_{/}Hezron of Ram, Ram of 
Amminadab,
{I}20_{/}Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon,
{I}21_{/}Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed,
{R}_{I}22_{/}Obed of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

