Would ye tarry after them, till they were of age? Or would ye for them so long refrain from taking of husbands? Not so, my daughters: for it grieveth me much for your sakes, that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me."

Then she said, "See, thy sister-in-law is gone back again unto her people and unto her god: return thou after her."

Then said Naomi unto her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he, for he ceaseth not to do the same goodness to the dead that he did to the living." And Naomi said unto her, "The man is nigh unto us, even of our next kin."

Then he said, "What art thou?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread thy mantle over thine handmaid, for thou art the next of the kin."

And it is true that I am of thy next kin: howbeit, there is one nigher than I.