And Micah said unto him, "Whence comest thou?" And the Levite answered him, "I am of Bethlehem Judah, and go to dwell where I may find a place."

And Micah said unto him, "Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest. And I will give thee ten silverlings by year and raiment of all sorts, and thy meat and drink."

Then said Micah, "Now I am sure that the LORD will be good unto me, seeing I have a Levite to my priest."

And the children of Dan sent of their kindreds five men of activity, out of their coasts, even out of Zorah and Eshtaol, to view the land and search it out, and said unto them, "Go and search out the land." And they came to mount Ephraim, even to the house of Micah and lodged there.

And when they were come unto the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite, and turned in thither, and said unto him, "Who brought thee hither? And what makest thou in this place? And what hast thou here?"

And he said unto them, "Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me and hath hired me to be his priest."

And they said unto him, "Ask of God, I pray thee, that we may know whether the way which we go, shall be prosperous or no."

And the priest said unto them, "Go in peace, for the way which ye go is before the LORD."

And they came unto their brethren, to Zorah, and Eshtaol. And their brethren said unto them, "What tidings bring you?"

And they said, "Up, and let us go unto them, for we have seen the land, that it is very good. Haste therefore and be not slothful to depart and go and conquer the land.

And they went and pitched in Kiriathjearim in Judah. Wherefore the place is called Mahanahdan unto this day, which is on the back side of Kiriathjearim.

Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, "Know ye not that there is in these houses an ephod and images; and a graven image and an image of metal? Now therefore consider what ye have to do."

while the other went to Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, the graven image and the image of metal. Then said the priest unto them, "What do ye?"

And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, "What aileth thee, that thou makest an outcry?"

And he said, "Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and also the priest, and go your ways with them! And what have I more? How then say ye unto me, 'What aileth thee?'"

And the children of Dan said unto him, "Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of all thine household too."

And the children of Dan set them up the graven image. And Jonathan the son of Gershon, the son of Manasseh and his sons were the priests unto the tribe of the Danites, until they were carried away out of the land captive.

And they set them up the carved image which Micah made, all the while that the house of God was in Shiloh.

It chanced in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite dwelling on the side of mount Ephraim, took to wife a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah:

The fourth day they arose early in the morning, and the man stood up to depart. But the damsel's father said unto his son-in-law, "Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread and then go your way."

And they sat down and did eat and drink both of them together. Then said the damsel's father unto the man, "Go to, I pray thee, and tarry all night and let thine heart be merry."

And he rose up early the fifth day to depart. Then said the damsel's father, "Comfort thine heart": and so made him tarry until after midday. And they did eat both of them together.

And then the man arose to depart with his concubine and his lad. But his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said unto him, "Behold, the day goeth fast away and draweth toward even. Tarry all night: at the least way tarry this day here and let thine heart be merry. And tomorrow get you early upon your way and get thee to thy tent."

And when they were fast by Jebus, the day was sore spent and the young man said unto his master, "Come I pray thee and let us turn in, into this city of the Jebusites and lodge all night there."

But his master said unto him, "We will not turn in to a strange city that are not of the children of Israel: we will go forth to Gibeah."

And he said unto his lad, "Go forward, and we shall come to one place or other and shall lodge all night in Gibeah or in Ramah."

And they turned thitherward to go and lodge all night in Gibeah. And when they came in, they sat them down in a street of the city, for there was no man took them in to lodge.

And when he had lifted up his eyes, and saw a wayfaring man in the streets of the city he said, "Whither goest thou? And whence comest thou?"

And the other answered him, "We come from Bethlehem Judah toward the side of mount Ephraim: from thence am I, and went to Bethlehem Judah and go now to the house of the LORD. But there is no man that receiveth me to house:

The old man said, "Peace be with thee, all that thou lackest shalt thou find with me: onely abide not in the streets all night."

And as they were making their hearts merry, the men of the city which were wicked, set the house round about, and thrust at the door, and spake to the man of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him."

But the man of the house went out to them and said unto them, "Oh, nay my brethren, do not so wickedly seeing that this man is come into mine house: do not this folly.

And he said unto her, "Up, and let us be going." But she answered not. Then he took her up upon an ass and stood up and gat him unto his own home.

And all that saw it said, "There was no such deed done or seen since the children of Israel came out of Egypt unto this day. Consider the matter, give counsel and say your minds."

And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizphah. Then said the children of Israel, "Tell us how this wickedness happened."

And the Levite, the woman's husband that was slain, answered and said, "I came into Gibeah that is in Benjamin with my concubine to lodge all night.

And the citizens of Gibeah rose against me, and set the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and caught my concubine and forced her, that she died.

And the children of Israel arose and went up to Bethel, and asked of God, who should begin the battle against the children of Benjamin, and the LORD said, "Judah shall begin."

And the LORD said, "Go up unto them." And when the children of Israel were come to the children of Benjamin the second day,

Then the children of Israel and all the people went up and came unto Bethel, and wept and sat there before the LORD, and fasted the same day unto evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron waiting upon it at that time - and they said, "Shall we go out any more to battle against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or shall we cease?" And the LORD said, "Go. For tomorrow I will deliver them into your hands."

And Israel set layers await against Gibeah round about.

For the children of Benjamin thought that the other had been beaten before them, as at the first time. But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and pluck them away from the city, unto the highways."

And they compassed Benjamin about, and chased them to Menuah, and overran them before Gibeah on the east side.

And then the men of Israel turned back again unto the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword in the cities, both man and beast and all that came to hand, and moreover set all the cities they could come by on fire.

and said, "O LORD God of Israel, why is this chanced in Israel, that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israel?"

And the children of Israel had pity on Benjamin their brethren, and said, "There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day:

Then they said, "What are they of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD?" And behold there came none of the inhabiters of Jabeshgilead unto the congregation.

And then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do to the remnant of them, to get them wives; seeing all the wives of Benjamin are destroyed?"

And they said, "There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel:

Then they said, "Behold, there is a feast of the LORD yearly in Shiloh which is on the north side of Bethel, and on the east side of the way that goeth from Bethel to Shechem and south from Lebanon."

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

Then they cried and wept and said unto her, "We will go with thee unto thy folk."

But Naomi said, "Turn again my daughters: for what cause would you go with me? Think you that there be any more children in my bowels to be your husbands?

Turn again my daughters and go: for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, also if I took a man this night: yea, and though I had already borne sons?

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

But Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. And where thou dwellest, there I will dwell. Thy people are my people, and thy God is my God.

And so they went both together until they came to Bethlehem. And when they were come to Bethlehem, it was noised through all the city, and the women said, "Is not this Naomi?"

But she said unto them, "Call me not Naomi: call me Mara, for the Almighty hath made me very bitter.

And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, "Let me go to the field and lease and gather ears, after whomsoever I find grace in his sight." And she said unto her, "Go, my daughter."

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto the harvest men, "The LORD be with you." And they answered him, "The LORD bless thee."

Then said Boaz unto the young man that had the oversight of the harvest men, "Whose damsel is this?"

And the young man that was set to oversee the harvest men answered and said, "It is the Moabitish damsel that came with Naomi out of the country of Moab,

and she said, 'Let me, I pray thee, lease and gather after the harvest men, the ears that remain.' And so she came, and hath continued even from the morning unto now, and tarried not long in the house."

Then said Boaz unto Ruth, "Hearest thou my daughter: go to no other field to gather, neither go from hence; but abide by my maidens.

Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, "How is that I have found grace in thine eyes, to know me, seeing I am an alien?"

And Boaz answered and said unto her, "All is told me that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband; how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land where thou wast born, and art come unto a nation which thou knewest not in time past.

Then she said unto him, "Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord, for thou hast comforted me and hast spoken heartily unto thy maid, which yet cannot be like unto one of thy maids."

And Boaz, when the time of refection was come, said unto her, "Come hither and eat of the bread, and dip thy sop in the vinegar." And she sat down by the reapers, and he reached her parched corn. And so she did eat and was sufficed, and left part.

And when she was risen up to gather, Boaz said to the young men, saying, "Let her gather the ears that remain and do her no despite.

Then said her mother-in-law unto her, "Where gatheredst thou today? And where wroughtest thou? Blessed be he that knew thee." And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought and said, "The man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz."

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."

And Ruth the Moabite said, "He bade me also that I should continue with his young men until they had ended all that harvest he hath."

Then said Naomi unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It is best my daughter that thou go out with his maidens, and that no man meet thee in any other field."

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, "My daughter, I will seek rest for thee, that thou mayest be in better case.

And when Boaz had eaten and drunken and made him merry, he went and lay down by the side of the heap. And she came softly, and lift up the clothes of his feet, and laid her down.

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 then he said, "Blessed be thou in the LORD my daughter, for thou hast showed more goodness in the latter end, than at the beginning; inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether they were poor or rich.

And so she lay at his feet until the morning. And she arose up before one could know another. And he said, "Let no man be aware, that there came any woman unto the threshing floor."

And he said, "Bring thy mantle that thou hadst upon thee and hold it up." And she held it up. And he mette in six measures of barley and laid it on her. And she gat her into the city,

and she came in to her mother-in-law, which said, "What tidings my daughter?" And she told her all that the man had done to her.

And said thereto, "These six measures of barley gave he me and said, 'Thou shalt not go empty unto thy mother-in-law.'"

Then said she, "My daughter sit still, until thou know how the matter will chance. For the man will not be in rest until he have finished the matter this same day."

Then went Boaz unto the gate and sat him down there. And behold, the kinsman of which Boaz spake came by. Unto whom he said, "Come and sit down here, and called him by his name." And he turned in and sat down.

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

Then he said unto the kinsman, "Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, will sell a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's.

Then said Boaz, "What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must take also Ruth the Moabite the wife of the dead, to stir up the name of the dead upon his inheritance."

Then said the kinsman, "I cannot purchase it for marrying of mine own inheritance: take thou my right to thee, for I cannot purchase it."

And the kinsman said to Boaz, "Buy it thou": and so drew off his shoe.

Then said Boaz unto the elders and unto 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, of the hand of Naomi.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said "We are witnesses: the LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and Lea, which twain did build the house of Israel: that she may do virtuously in Ephrata, and be famous in Bethlehem,

and that thine house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, even of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman."

And the women said unto Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, the which hath not left thee without a heir this day that shall have a name in Israel,

And the said man went out of his city every feastful day, to pray and to offer unto the LORD of Hosts: where the two sons of Eli - Hophni and Phinehas - were the LORD's priests.

Then said Elkanah her husband to her, "Hannah why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thine heart so troubled? Am not I better to thee, than ten sons?"

Then Hannah rose up after that they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh. And Eli the priest sat upon a stool by one of the side posts of the temple of the LORD.

and vowed a vow and said, "LORD of Hosts, if thou wilt look on the wretchedness of thine handmaid and shalt remember me and not forget thine handmaid, and shalt give unto thine handmaid a man child I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life and there shall neither razor or shears come upon his head."

and said unto her, "How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away from thee the wine that thou hast."

Hannah answered, and said, "Not so, my lord. I am a woman sorrowful in mine heart, and have drunk neither wine nor any strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.

Eli answered, and said, "Go in peace, the God of Israel shall grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him."