Ruth’s Redemption Assured 1 UDB One day, Naomi said to Ruth, "My daughter, I think that I should try to arrange for you to have a home and a husband who will provide for you. BSB BSB: One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?
2 UDB Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he has been very kind by letting you gather grain with his servant girls. Listen carefully. Tonight he will be at the place where they thresh the barley. He will be separating the grain from the chaff. BSB BSB: Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
3 UDB Bathe yourself and put on some perfume. Put on your best clothes. Then go down to the place where they thresh the grain. But do not let him know that you are there until he is finished eating and drinking. BSB BSB: Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 UDB When he has finished eating, notice where he lies down to sleep. Then when he is asleep, go over to him, uncover his feet, and lie close to his feet. When he wakes up, he will tell you what to do." BSB BSB: When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.”
5 UDB Ruth replied, "I will do everything that you have told me to do." BSB BSB: “I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.
6 UDB So she went down to the place where they thresh the grain. There she did everything that her mother-in-law had told her to do. BSB BSB: So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.
7 UDB When Boaz finished eating and drinking, he was feeling good. Then he went over to the far end of the pile of grain. He lay down there and went to sleep. Then Ruth approached him quietly. She took the covering off of his feet and lay down there. BSB BSB: After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
8 UDB In the middle of the night, he woke up suddenly. He sat up and realized that a woman was lying at his feet. BSB BSB: At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
9 UDB He asked her, "Who are you?" She replied, "I am your servant, Ruth. Since you are the one responsible for my dead husband's family, spread the corner of your cloak over me." BSB BSB: “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”
10 UDB Boaz replied, "May Yahweh bless you, my dear! You acted kindly toward your mother-in-law previously, and now you are acting even more kindly toward me by not chasing after a young man to marry, whether rich or poor. BSB BSB: Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
11 UDB Now, my dear, I will do everything that you ask. Do not be afraid, because all the people in this town know that you are an honorable woman. BSB BSB: And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.
12 UDB But there is one problem. Although it is true that I am a close relative of yours, there is another man who is an even closer relative than I am, one who stands closer to your mother-in-law than I do, and therefore he is really the one who is responsible for you. BSB BSB: Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I.
13 UDB You stay here for the rest of the night. Tomorrow morning I will tell this man about you. If he says that he will take responsibility for you, fine, we will let him marry you. But if he is not willing to do that, I solemnly promise that as surely as Yahweh lives, I will marry you and take care of you. So stay here until it is morning." BSB BSB: Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.”
14 UDB So she lay at his feet until morning. But she got up and left before it was light enough that people would be able to recognize her, because Boaz said, "It would be best if no one knows that a woman was here." BSB BSB: So she lay down at his feet until morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her. Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”
15 UDB He also said to her, "Bring to me your cloak and spread it out." When she did that, he poured into it a generous amount of barley and put it on her back. Then he went into town. BSB BSB: And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured in six measures of barley and placed it on her. Then he went into the city.
16 UDB When Ruth arrived home, her mother-in-law asked her, "Is that you, my daughter?" Then Ruth told her everything that Boaz had done for her and what he had said. BSB BSB: When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her.
17 UDB She also said to Naomi, "He gave me all this barley, saying, 'I do not want you to return to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'" BSB BSB: And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
18 UDB Then Naomi said, "My daughter, just wait here until we see what happens. I am sure that Boaz will surely take care of this matter today." BSB BSB: “Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.