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¶ Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee?

And now is not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.

Therefore, thou shalt wash thyself and anoint thyself and put thy raiment upon thee and go down to the threshingfloor, but do not make thyself known unto the man until he shall have finished eating and drinking.

And it shall be when he lies down that thou shalt perceive the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in and uncover his feet and lie down there, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.

And she said unto her, All that thou dost command me I will do.

¶ And she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap, and she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

And it came to pass at midnight that the man was startled and took hold, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

Then he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thy handmaid; spread therefore the edge of thy mantle over thy handmaid; for thou art a redeemer.

10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter, for thou hast shown more mercy in the end than at the first, not going after the young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do unto thee all that thou hast said, for all the city of my people know that thou art a valiant woman.

12 And now it is true that I am thy redeemer; however, there is another redeemer nearer than I (in kinship).

13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning that if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem thee, but if he does not wish to redeem, then I will redeem thee, as the LORD lives; lie down until the morning.

14 ¶ And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that the woman has come to the threshing floor.

15 Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her, and she went into the city.

16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, What now, my daughter? And she told her all that had happened to her with the man.

17 And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, Do not go empty unto thy mother-in-law.

18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou shall know how the matter will fall, for that man will not rest until he has concluded the thing today.

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor

One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi(A) said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home[a](B) for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative(C) of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.(D) Wash,(E) put on perfume,(F) and get dressed in your best clothes.(G) Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.(H) When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”

“I will do whatever you say,”(I) Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor(J) and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits,(K) he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile.(L) Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet!

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment(M) over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer[b](N) of our family.”

10 “The Lord bless you,(O) my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier:(P) You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.(Q) 12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family,(R) there is another who is more closely related than(S) I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer,(T) good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives(U) I will do it.(V) Lie here until morning.”

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.(W)(X)

15 He also said, “Bring me the shawl(Y) you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he[c] went back to town.

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

18 Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”(Z)

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 3:1 Hebrew find rest (see 1:9)
  2. Ruth 3:9 The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55); also in verses 12 and 13.
  3. Ruth 3:15 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac she