From the Greek Septuagint text as used by First Century Christians.
This is the story of the events leading up to the birth of the grandfather of
King David, which happened around 1300-BCE.
Likely written by SamuEl around 1090-BCE, because it appears to have originally
been a continuation of the book of Judges.
Chapter 1
1 Back in
those days, during the time of the Judges, there was a famine that came to the
land.
As the result, a man from BethLehem of Judah traveled into the fields of Moab with his wife and two sons.
2 The man’s name
was EliMelech, his wife’s name was NaOmi, and his
two sons were named MahLon and ChiLion… they were EphRathites.
And after they
had moved there from BethLehem of Judah, 3
EliMelech (NaOmi’s husband) died, leaving just her and her two sons.
4
Thereafter, the sons married Moabite women; one was named Orpah, and the other
was named Ruth (gr. Routh).
Then, after [NaOmi] had been there for about ten
years, 5 both MahLon and
ChiLion (the sons of her and her husband) also died.
6 So she got up and told her two
daughters-in-law that she was going to return to her own country, because she’d
heard (from someone in the land of Moab) that Jehovah
had turned back to His people and that He was once again providing them loaves
of bread to eat.
7 Well, [as
she was preparing] to leave the place where she was staying, both of her
daughters-in-law came and met with her, because they wanted to go with her to
the land of Judah.
8 But NaOmi
said to her daughters-in-law:
‘Go back home to your mothers… and may Jehovah
show you as much mercy to you as you’ve shown to my dead ones.
Thank you for
meeting with me, 9 but may
Jehovah now provide each of you rest in the house of a husband.’
Then she kissed them and they both started to cry, 10 and they said to her:
‘We want to
return with you to your people.’
11 But NaOmi
said:
‘No! Please, my daughters! Why do you want to go with me?
Do you think
that I still have sons in my belly that I can give as your husbands?
12 Please go home, my daughters!
Go,
because I’ve grown too old to have a man anymore. I’ve asked myself,
Might it be possible for me to marry again and to
give birth to sons 13
for whom you should wait, and not marry again until they’ve grown into men?
No,
my daughters; for I’ve become very bitter since the hand of Jehovah has come
against me.’
14 Then they
all started to cry again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned to
her family.
However, Ruth continued to follow her; so NaOmi said:
15 ‘Look, Ruth; your sister-in-law has
returned to her people and to her gods. So, please turn back and catch up with
your sister-in-law.’
16 And Ruth
replied:
‘Don’t force me to leave you and go back; for wherever you go, I will
go, and wherever you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people and your
God will be my God.
17 Where
you die is where I will die, and that’s where I’ll be buried.
May Jehovah
[curse] me and add more to it if anything other than death will separate me
from you.’
18 Well when
NaOmi saw that she was so determined to go with her, she no longer tried to
discourage her.
19 So they both
traveled on together until they arrived at BethLehem.
And when they got there,
the whole city of BethLehem cheered for them, asking,
‘Is this really NaOmi?’
20 And she
said to them:
‘Please don’t call me NaOmi, call me Mary (Bitter), because [God]
has made me very bitter.
21 For
after I left, Jehovah sent me back with nothing.
So, why call me NaOmi
(Pleasure), when Jehovah has humbled and persecuted me?’
22 Thus NaOmi returned from the country of Moab with her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, arriving in BethLehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Chapter 2
1 Well,
there was a very wealthy man [in BethLehem] that NaOmi knew (because he was a
relative of her husband EliMelech) whose name was Boaz.
2
So Ruth (the Moabite) said to NaOmi:
‘If he approves of me, should I go into
his field to glean grain?’
And NaOmi replied:
‘Go, my daughter.’
3 So she went into the field and followed
behind those that were doing the harvesting.
And it so happened that the portion
of the field she was in was being harvested by some of Boaz’s relatives at the
time.
4 Then
{Look!} when Boaz came from the city (BethLehem), he said to those that were
harvesting there:
‘May Jehovah be with you.’
And they replied:
‘May Jehovah bless you.’
5 Then Boaz
asked the servant that was supervising the harvesting,
‘Whose young woman is
that?’
6 And the
supervisor replied:
‘She’s the Moabite servant who just came here from the
country of the Moabites along with NaOmi.’
7 So [Ruth]
then [went up] to him and said:
‘Please, may I collect grain here… I’ll just
follow behind those that are doing the harvesting.’
Well, she had been working all day long, from morning until
evening, and she hadn’t stopped at all to rest.
8 So Boaz said:
‘Hasn’t anyone told you, my daughter? You
don’t have go into my field to just glean… [go and work] with the rest of the
young women [who are my relatives].
9
Look around the field and see where they are, and work along with them, for I’ve
instructed my servants not to bother you;
And when you get thirsty, you may go
and drink from the water in the jugs that belong to my servants.’
10 Well at
that, she bowed low before him with her face to the ground, and then she asked
him:
‘What have I done to find so much favor in your eyes that you should treat
me this well, since I’m just a stranger?’
11 And Boaz
answered:
‘All the things you’ve been doing for your mother-in-law since the
death of her son (your man) have been reported to me.
For I’ve heard of how you
arrived in this unfamiliar land just two days ago after leaving your father,
your mother, and your country.
12
So, may Jehovah repay your good deeds, and may the God of IsraEl that you’ve
come here to serve shelter you under His wings.’
13 Then she
said:
‘I [hope] that may I find your favor, my master, and [that I can prove
worthy] of the comfort that you’ve given to me; for your words have touched the
heart of your slave girl.
Look, I’m your servant!’
14 Then Boaz
said to her:
‘It’s almost suppertime.
Here, take some of my bread… and here’s
some vinegar to dip it in.’
15 And at
that, Ruth sat down next to the rest of the harvesters, and Boaz gave her a
large amount of toasted grain, which she ate.
Then, after she had eaten enough,
she left.
16 Well,
when she got up [the next day] to collect grain, [she found that] Boaz had
indeed instructed his servants to allow her to harvest from the midst of the
grain and for them to set aside a portion of the field just for her, and not to
give her any trouble.
17 So she
worked all day long; and when she beat out the grain, she found that she had
collected a heaping bushel full, 18 which she then carried back to the
city.
And when her mother-in-law saw how much she had collected and how much
had been given to her, she asked:
‘Where did you go today, and where did you
get this? May this one that has so recognized you be blest!’
19 Then Ruth
told her mother-in-law where she did [the harvesting] and said,
‘The name of
the man that allowed me to do this today is Boaz.’
20 And NaOmi
said,
‘Praise Jehovah, for He hasn’t forgotten to be merciful [to the widows]
of those that have died.’
Then she added:
‘This man is our next-of-kin… one of
our closest relatives!’
21 And Ruth
said to her mother-in-law:
‘He also told me to [work alongside] his servants
until I’ve finished harvesting all that I need!’
22 Then
NaOmi told Ruth:
‘My daughter; it’s good for you to work alongside his
servants, for you likely wouldn’t have been able to meet his relatives in any
other field.’
23 So thereafter, Ruth worked along with the young women of Boaz’s family through both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest (about fifty days).
Chapter 3
1 Well,
while she was staying there with her mother-in-law, NaOmi said to her:
‘My
daughter; How else can I give you some rest and allow good things to happen to
you?
2 [Recognize that] Boaz
(the one among whose young women you are working) is a close relative, and
tonight he’ll be threshing barley in his barn.
3 So, take a bath, [rub your body] with [fragrant] oils and
dress up, then go to his barn.
However, you must not show yourself to him until
after he has finished eating and drinking.
4
But then, when you see that he has fallen asleep, go uncover his feet and lie
down there at his feet and go to sleep.
Thereafter, he will tell you what to
do.’
5 And Ruth
said:
‘I’ll do whatever you say.’
6 So she
went down to the barn and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed.
7 [She saw] Boaz eating and drinking until
his heart was quite satisfied, and then he went to sleep in the hay.
So Ruth
crept up quietly and uncovered his feet, then she got down to go to sleep.
8 However, this woke Boaz; and when he saw
the woman lying at his feet, 9
he asked,
‘Who are you?’
9 And she
replied:
‘I’m Ruth, your servant girl.
Wrap me in your blanket, for you are my
relative.’
10 So Boaz
said:
‘May Jehovah God bless you for your goodness and mercy, my daughter, because
you’ve chosen the last over the first.
You could have looked for a younger man,
whether rich or poor.
11 But
daughter; don’t be afraid, for I’ll do whatever you ask, since my whole tribe
knows what a mighty woman you are.
12
However, there is someone that is a closer relative than me.
13 You may spend the rest of the night
here, but in the morning we will go and find out if he’s
willing to do right by you, since he is your closest relative.
Now, as Jehovah
is living, you may just go to sleep until the morning.’
14 So [Ruth]
went back to sleep at his feet and she stayed there until the next morning.
And
when she awoke (while [it was still too dark] to be seen), Boaz said:
‘Don’t
tell anyone that a woman spent the night in my barn.’
15 Then he
said to her:
‘Now, bring me the apron that you wore.’
So
she held it out, and he poured six quarts of barley
into it for her; and thereafter, she returned to the city.
16 Well, when
she got back, her mother-in-law asked:
‘What happened, my daughter?’
And she
told her everything that the man had done, saying,
‘He also gave me six quarts
of barley, 17 and he told me to
carry this to my mother-in-law.’
18 Then
[NaOmi] said:
‘Now, let’s just sit here and wait, my daughter, to see how this thing
works out.
For the man won’t be satisfied until he has finished everything that
has to be done.’
Chapter 4
1 Well, the
[next morning], Boaz went and sat down at the [city] gate.
Then {Look!} before
long, he saw the man about whom he had spoken [to Ruth], so he asked him to
come and sit in a secluded spot.
2
He also found ten of the city’s elders and asked them to come and sit with
them. So, they all sat down together.
3 Then Boaz said
to the relative:
‘This matter is regarding the portion of the field that
belonged to our brother EliMelech, which he passed on to NaOmi.
Since she has
just returned from the land of Moab, 4
I thought that I should whisper in your ear and urge you to purchase the field
before others in the city do so, or before the elders claim it, for you are
[EliMelech’s] closest living relative.
However, if you aren’t interested in
buying it, let me do that, since I’m next in line as his relative.’
And [the man] replied:
‘I’ll [claim it] as his next of kin!’
5 And Boaz
said:
‘Well, on the day that you buy the field from NaOmi, you must also take
the Moabite woman, Ruth.
For she was the [wife] of your dead relative, and you
must keep his name alive to receive his inheritance.’
6 Well at
that, the relative said:
‘Oh, then I won’t be able to accept the responsibility
of being his closest relative, for I’m afraid that it would ruin the rights of
my own inheritors.
So, you may go and claim the right.’
7 Now, it
was the custom in IsraEl at the time (when it came to establishing matters that
have to do with inheritances and such) for the man that [was giving up his
right], to untie his sandal and give it to the one that would be the acting
next-of-kin, as proof that the right of inheritance was being given to him.
For
this is how they testified to such things in IsraEl back then.
8 So when
the relative told Boaz that he could buy it for himself and the right of
inheritance would be his, he untied his sandal and gave it to Boaz.
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to
everyone else that was sitting there:
‘You people are all witnesses today that
I have acquired the right to buy everything that belonged to EliMelech,
ChiLion, and MahLon from NaOmi… 10
including Ruth, the Moabite woman.
So I have now
acquired MahLon’s woman as mine, and I will raise a [son] in the name of the
one that died, so that his inheritance won’t be lost.
For I’m his brother, and
you and all the people at this gate are my witnesses.’
11 Well, all
the elders all agreed, saying:
‘We are witnesses. And may Jehovah make the
woman that is entering your home like RachaEl and LeAh who built the house of
IsraEl.
May they succeed in doing that in a powerful way in EphRatha, and in
making a name in BethLehem.
12
May your house become like the house of Perez, whom Thamar bore to Judah, and
may this woman give birth to the seed of your children.’
13 So Boaz
took Ruth and she became his woman.
Then he [slept with] her and she became
pregnant and gave birth to a son.
14
And thereafter, she said to NaOmi:
‘May Jehovah be praised, because He didn’t
rest until He provided a son for you today.
May [this son] speak of your name
in IsraEl, 15 and may he
restore life and nourishment to your grey hair; for your daughter-in-law has
given birth to a good child that is better than seven sons.’
16 Well
after that, NaOmi took the boy and held him to her breasts, becoming his wet
nurse.
17 Then she called the
neighbors in and named him… she said,
‘Since NaOmi has now given birth to a
son, I will call him Obed (Servant).’
This one became the father of JesSe and the grandfather of David.
18 Now,
these are the descendants of Perez:
· Perez fathered HezRon
· 19 HezRon fathered Aram
· Aram fathered AmiNadab
· 20 AmiNadab fathered NaShon
· NaShon fathered SalMon
· 21 SalMon fathered Boaz
· Boaz fathered Obed
· 22 Obed fathered JesSe
· JesSe fathered David.