And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

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 Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left, and her two sons.

And they took wives for them of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth, and they dwelt there about ten years.

And Mahlon and Chilion died, both of them, and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.

And 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 to the land of Judah.

And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house. LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

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 voices, and wept.

And they said to her, No, but we will return with thee to thy people.

And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Why will ye go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Turn again, my daughters. Go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope. If I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons,

And they lifted up their voices, and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Return thou after thy sister-in-law.

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for where thou go, I will go, and where thou lodge, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

Where thou die, I will die, and there I will be buried. LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts thee and me.

And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.

So those two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they came to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and [the women] said, Is this Naomi?

And she said to them, Call me not Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

I went out full, and LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do ye call me Naomi, seeing LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.

And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And her chance was to land on the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, LORD be with you. And they answered him, LORD bless thee.

And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabite damsel who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.

And she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather behind the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she tarried a little in the house.

Let thine eyes be on the field that they reap, and go thou after them. Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor in thy sight that thou should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner?

And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully shown me all that thou have done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband, and how thou have left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and have com

LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou have come to take refuge.

Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, because thou have comforted me, and because thou have spoken kindly to thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left of it.

And when she arose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.

And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and do not rebuke her.

So she gleaned in the field until evening. And she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

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 which she had left after she was satisfied.

And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have thou gleaned today? And where have thou worked? Blessed be he who took knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man's name with whom I

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of LORD who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our near kinsmen.

And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yes, he said to me, Thou shall keep close by my young men until they have ended all my harvest.

And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they not meet thee in any other field.

So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest. And she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?

And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing-floor.

Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor. But do not make thyself known to the man until he shall have done eating and drinking.

And it shall be, when he lays down, that thou shall notice the place where he shall lays. And thou shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down. And he will tell thee what thou shall do.

And she said to her, All that thou say I will do.

And she went down to the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.

And when Boaz had eaten and drank, and his heart was merry, he went to lay down at the end of the heap of grain. And she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid down.

And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

And he said, Who are thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou are a near kinsman.

And he said, Blessed be thou of LORD, my daughter. Thou have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou did not follow young men, whether poor or rich.

And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do to thee all that thou say, for all the city of my people knows that thou are a worthy woman.

And now it is TRUE that I am a near kinsman. However there is a kinsman nearer than I.

Remain this night, and it shall be in the morning that if he will perform to 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 I will do the part of a kinsman

And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.

And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it. And she held it, and he measured six [measures] of barley, and laid it on her, and he went into the city.

And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who are thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

And she said, He gave me these six [measures] of barley, for he said, Go not empty to thy mother-in-law.

Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. And, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by, to whom he said, Such man, stay, turn aside. Sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.

And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

And he said to the near kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's.

And I thought to disclose it to thee, saying, Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou will redeem it, redeem it, but if thou will not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is none

And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I mar my own inheritance. Take thou my right of redemption on thee, for I cannot redeem it.

Now this was [the custom] in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: A man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor. And this was the [manner of] attestation in Israel.

So the near kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe.

And Boaz said to the elders, and to 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, from the hand of Naomi.

Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his plac

And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. LORD make the woman that has come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel, and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, an

And let thy house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which LORD shall give thee by this young woman.

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be LORD, who has not left thee this day without a near kinsman. And let his name be famous in Israel.

And he shall be to thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loves thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, has borne him.

And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it.

And the women, her neighbors, 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.

and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab,

and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon,

and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed,

and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.