Boaz Meets Ruth 1 UST There was a man{ there} who was a relative of Naomi’ s{ dead} husband, Elimelech. He was rich and important, and a member of the same clan to which Elimelech belonged. The man’ s name was Boaz. BSB BSB: Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
2 UST Ruth(the woman from Moab) said to Naomi,“Let me go to the fields and pick up the grain that the harvesters leave behind. I will go behind any harvester who allows me to do so.” Naomi replied,“Go ahead, my daughter.” BSB BSB: And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.
3 UST So Ruth went. When she got to the fields, she followed the harvesters and picked up grain. The part of the field that she was working in just happened to belong to Boaz, Elimelek’ s relative. BSB BSB: So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
4 UST Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem! He greeted the harvesters,“May Yahweh be with you!” They replied,“May Yahweh bless you!” BSB BSB: Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied.
5 UST Then Boaz{ saw Ruth, and} asked his foreman,“Who is that young woman related to?” BSB BSB: And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 UST The foreman replied,“She is the young woman from Moab who accompanied Naomi when she returned from there. BSB BSB: The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
7 UST The woman said to me,‘Please let me pick up the grain that the men who are harvesting leave behind.’{ I allowed her to do so.} She has worked since early this morning until recently, when she rested for a short time under the shelter.” BSB BSB: She has said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a short time in the shelter.”
8 UST Then Boaz{ walked over to where Ruth was and} said to Ruth,“Young lady, please listen to me. You do not need to go to any other field or anywhere else to gather grain. You should stay right here with my servant girls. BSB BSB: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls.
9 UST Watch where the men are harvesting and follow along behind my servant girls. I have told the men{ who are harvesting} not to molest you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and get some water to drink from the jars that the men have filled.” BSB BSB: Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
10 UST Then she knelt before him{ in respect} with her forehead touching the ground. She exclaimed,“Why are you being so kind to me? I did not think that you would pay any attention to me, since I am a foreigner!” BSB BSB: At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?”
11 UST Boaz replied,“People have told me everything that you have done for your mother- in- law since your husband died. They told me that you left your parents and your homeland, and that you came here to live among people whom you did not know previously. BSB BSB: Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.
12 UST I pray that Yahweh will fully repay you for what you have done. Yes, may Yahweh, the God of Israel, the one whom you are trusting to protect you, reward you in full.” BSB BSB: May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.”
13 UST She replied,“Sir, I hope I will continue to please you. You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, your servant, and yet I am not even{ worthy to be} one of your servant girls!” BSB BSB: “My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”
14 UST When it was time to eat, Boaz said to Ruth,“Come over here{ and get some food}. Take some of this bread and dip it in the vinegar and eat it.” So she{ came and} sat down with the harvesters. Then he gave her some roasted grain. She ate all{ the food} that she wanted and had some left over. BSB BSB: At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
15 UST After she stood up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his workers,“Even if she gathers some grain near the bundles of grain{ that you have cut}, do not tell her to stop doing that. BSB BSB: When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, do not insult her.
16 UST Even more than that, I want you to pull out some stalks of grain from the bundles and leave them{ on the ground} for her to pick up— and do not scold her.” BSB BSB: Rather, pull out for her some stalks from the bundles and leave them for her to gather. Do not rebuke her.”
17 UST So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley that she had gathered{, to separate the kernels from the stalks}. The barley kernels were enough to fill a large basket. BSB BSB: So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. And when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley.
18 UST She carried it back to town and showed her mother- in- law how much she had gathered. Ruth also gave her mother- in- law the roasted grain that she had left over after she had eaten all that she had wanted{ at lunchtime}. BSB BSB: She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to Naomi.
19 UST Her mother- in- law asked her,“Where did you gather all this grain today? In whose field did you work? I pray that God will bless the man who was so kind to you.” Then Ruth told her about the person with whom she had worked. She said,“The name of the man who owns the field where I worked today is Boaz.” BSB BSB: Then her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? Blessed be the man who noticed you.” So she told her mother-in-law where she had worked. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20 UST Naomi said to her daughter- in- law,“May Yahweh bless him! Yahweh has continued to act faithfully toward{ us} who are still living, and to{ our husbands} who have died.” Then Naomi said,“That man is a close relative{ of Elimelek}. In fact, he is one of those responsible for taking care of our family.” BSB BSB: Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”
21 UST Then Ruth, the woman from Moab, said,“He also told me to stay with his workers until they are done bringing in all his grain from the field.” BSB BSB: Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished gathering all my harvest.’”
22 UST Naomi replied to her daughter- in- law Ruth,“My daughter, it will be good for you to go{ to his field} with his servant girls, because if you go to someone else’ s field, someone might assault you.” BSB BSB: And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.