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The Holy
Bible
Ruth
Chapter 1
1 Now it came to pass
in the days when the judges
ruled, that there was a famine in
the land. And a certain man of
Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in
the country of Moab, he, and his
wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man
was Elimelech, and the name of
his wife Naomi, and the name of
his two sons Mahlon and Chilion,
Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah.
And they came into the country of
Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's
husband died; and she was left,
and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives
of the women of Moab; the name of
the one was Orpah, and the name
of the other Ruth: and they
dwelled there about ten
years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion
died also both of them; and the
woman was left of her two sons
and her husband.
6 Then she arose with her
daughters in law, that she might
return from the country of Moab:
for she had heard in the country
of Moab how that the LORD had
visited his people in giving them
bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth
out of the place where she was,
and her two daughters in law with
her; and they went on the way to
return unto the land of
Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her
two daughters in law, Go, return
each to her mother's house: the
LORD deal kindly with you, as ye
have dealt with the dead, and
with me.
9 The LORD grant you that
ye may find rest, each of you in
the house of her husband. Then
she kissed them; and they lifted
up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her,
Surely we will return with thee
unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn
again, my daughters: why will ye
go with me? are there yet any
more sons in my womb, that they
may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my
daughters, go your way; for I am
too old to have an husband. If I
should say, I have hope, if I
should have an husband also to
night, and should also bear
sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them
till they were grown? would ye
stay for them from having
husbands? nay, my daughters; for
it grieveth me much for your
sakes that the hand of the LORD
is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up
their voice, and wept again: and
Orpah kissed her mother in law;
but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold,
thy sister in law is gone back
unto her people, and unto her
gods: return thou after thy
sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat
me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will
go; and where thou lodgest, I
will lodge: thy people shall be
my people, and thy God my
God:
17 Where thou diest, will
I die, and there will I be
buried: the LORD do so to me, and
more also, if ought but death
part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she
was stedfastly minded to go with
her, then she left speaking unto
her.
19 So they two went until
they came to Bethlehem. And it
came to pass, when they were come
to Bethlehem, that all the city
was moved about them, and they
said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them,
Call me not Naomi, call me Mara:
for the Almighty hath dealt very
bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and
the LORD hath brought me home
again empty: why then call ye me
Naomi, seeing the LORD hath
testified against me, and the
Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and
Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter
in law, with her, which returned
out of the country of Moab: and
they came to Bethlehem in the
beginning of barley harvest.
Chapter 2
1 And Naomi had a
kinsman of her husband's, a
mighty man of wealth, of the
family of Elimelech; and his name
was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess
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 she said unto
her, Go, my daughter.
3 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, who was of
the kindred of Elimelech.
4 And behold, Boaz came
from Bethlehem, and said unto the
reapers, The LORD be with you.
And they answered him, The LORD
bless thee.
5 Then said Boaz unto his
servant that was set over the
reapers, Whose damsel is
this?
6 And the servant that was
set over the reapers answered and
said, It is the Moabitish damsel
that came back with Naomi out of
the country of Moab:
7 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.
8 Then said Boaz 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:
9 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.
10 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?
11 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.
12 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.
13 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.
14 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.
15 And when she was risen
up to glean, Boaz commanded his
young men, saying, Let her glean
even among the sheaves, and
reproach her not:
16 And let fall also some
of the handfuls of purpose for
her, and leave them, that she may
glean them, and rebuke her
not.
17 So she gleaned in the
field until even, and beat out
that she had gleaned: and it was
about an ephah of barley.
18 And she took it up, and
went into the city: and her
mother in law saw what she had
gleaned: and she brought forth,
and gave to her that she had
reserved after she was
sufficed.
19 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 shewed her mother in law
with whom she had wrought, and
said, The man's name with whom I
wrought to day is Boaz.
20 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.
21 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.
22 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.
23 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.
Chapter 3
1 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?
2 And now is not Boaz of
our kindred, with whose maidens
thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth
barley to night in the
threshingfloor.
3 Wash thyself therefore,
and anoint thee, and put thy
raiment upon thee, and get thee
down to the floor: but make not
thyself known unto the man, until
he shall have done eating and
drinking.
4 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.
5 And she said unto her,
All that thou sayest unto me I
will do.
6 And she went down unto
the floor, and did according to
all that her mother in law bade
her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten
and drunk, and his heart was
merry, he went to lie down at the
end of the heap of corn: and she
came softly, and uncovered his
feet, and laid her down.
8 And it came to pass at
midnight, that the man was
afraid, and turned himself: and,
behold, a woman lay at his
feet.
9 And he said, Who art
thou? And she answered, I am Ruth
thine handmaid: spread therefore
thy skirt over thine handmaid;
for thou art a near kinsman.
10 And he said, Blessed be
thou of the LORD, my daughter:
for thou hast shewed 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 requirest: for all the
city of my people doth know that
thou art a virtuous woman.
12 And now it is true that
I am thy 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 the LORD
liveth: 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 a woman came into the
floor.
15 Also he said, Bring the
vail 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, 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 said to me, 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 be in rest,
until he have finished the thing
this day.
Chapter 4
1 Then went Boaz up to
the gate, and sat him down there:
and, behold, the kinsman of whom
Boaz spake came by; unto whom he
said, Ho, such a one! turn aside,
sit down here. And he turned
aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of
the elders of the city, and said,
Sit ye down here. And they sat
down.
3 And he said unto the
kinsman, Naomi, that is come
again out of the country of Moab,
selleth a parcel of land, which
was our brother Elimelech's:
4 And I thought to
advertise thee, saying, Buy it
before the inhabitants, and
before the elders of my people.
If thou wilt redeem it, redeem
it: but if thou wilt not redeem
it, then tell me, that I may
know: for there is none to redeem
it beside thee; and I am after
thee. And he said, I will redeem
it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day
thou buyest the field of the hand
of Naomi, thou must buy it also
of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife
of the dead, to raise up the name
of the dead upon his
inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I
cannot redeem it for myself, lest
I mar mine own inheritance:
redeem thou my right to thyself;
for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner
in former time in Israel
concerning redeeming and
concerning changing, for to
confirm all things; a man plucked
off his shoe, and gave it to his
neighbour: and this was a
testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman
said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee.
So he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the
elders, and unto all the people,
Ye are witnesses this day, that I
have bought all that was
Elimelech's, and all that was
Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the
hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the
Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon,
have I purchased to be my wife,
to raise up the name of the dead
upon his inheritance, that the
name of the dead be not cut off
from among his brethren, and from
the gate of his place: ye are
witnesses this day.
11 And all the people that
were in the gate, and the elders,
said, We are witnesses. The LORD
make the woman that is come into
thine house like Rachel and like
Leah, which two did build the
house of Israel: and do thou
worthily in Ephratah, and be
famous in Bethlehem:
12 And let thy house be
like the house of Pharez, whom
Tamar bare unto Judah, of the
seed which the LORD shall give
thee of this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and
she was his wife: and when he
went in unto her, the LORD gave
her conception, and she bare a
son.
14 And the women said unto
Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which
hath not left thee this day
without a kinsman, that his name
may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto
thee a restorer of thy life, and
a nourisher of thine old age: for
thy daughter in law, which loveth
thee, which is better to thee
than seven sons, hath born
him.
16 And Naomi took the
child, and laid it in her bosom,
and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her
neighbours gave it a name,
saying, There is a son born to
Naomi; and they called his name
Obed: he is the father of Jesse,
the father of David.
18 Now these are the
generations of Pharez: Pharez
begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram,
and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat
Nahshon, and Nahshon begat
Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz,
and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse,
and Jesse begat David.
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