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- RUTH:
-
-
- CHAPTER 1
-
-
- 1. Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that
- there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of
- Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his
- wife, and his two sons.
-
- 2. 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 Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of
- Moab, and continued there.
-
- 3. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her
- two sons.
-
- 4. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of
- the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they
- dwelled there about ten years.
-
- 5. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman
- was left of her two sons and her husband.
-
- 6. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might
- return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country
- of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them
- bread.
-
- 7. Wherefore 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 unto the land of Judah.
-
- 8. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each
- to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have
- dealt with the dead, and with me.
-
- 9. The 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 voice, and wept.
-
- 10. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto
- thy people.
-
- 11. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go
- with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be
- your husbands?
-
- 12. Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to
- have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an
- husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
-
- 13. Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay
- for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth
- me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out
- against me.
-
- 14. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah
- kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
-
- 15. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto
- her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in
- law.
-
- 16. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return
- from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and
- where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people,
- and thy God my God:
-
- 17. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:
- the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee
- and me.
-
- 18. When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her,
- then she left speaking unto her.
-
- 19. So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came
- to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was
- moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
-
- 20. And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for
- the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
-
- 21. I went out full and the LORD hath brought me home again
- empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified
- against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
-
- 22. So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in
- law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they
- came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
-
-
- CHAPTER 2
-
-
- 1. And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of
- wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
-
- 2. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the
- field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall
- find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
-
- 3. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the
- reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging
- unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
-
- 4. And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the
- reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD
- bless thee.
-
- 5. Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the
- reapers, Whose damsel is this?
-
- 6. And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and
- said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of
- the country of Moab:
-
- 7. And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the
- reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even
- from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the
- house.
-
- 8. Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go
- not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide
- here fast by my maidens:
-
- 9. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou
- after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not
- touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and
- drink of that which the young men have drawn.
-
- 10. Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
- and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou
- shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
-
- 11. And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been
- shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since
- the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and
- thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a
- people which thou knewest not heretofore.
-
- 12. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given
- thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
- trust.
-
- 13. Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for
- that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken
- friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of
- thine handmaidens.
-
- 14. And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and
- eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat
- beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did
- eat, and was sufficed, and left.
-
- 15. And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young
- men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach
- her not:
-
- 16. And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her,
- and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
-
- 17. So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that
- she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
-
- 18. 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 she had reserved after she was sufficed.
-
- 19. And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned
- to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take
- knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she
- had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day
- is Boaz.
-
- 20. And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of
- the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to
- the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us,
- one of our next kinsmen.
-
- 21. And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou
- shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my
- harvest.
-
- 22. And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my
- daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee
- not in any other field.
-
- 23. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the
- end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her
- mother in law.
-
-
- CHAPTER 3
-
-
- 1. Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter,
- shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
-
- 2. And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou
- wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.
-
- 3. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment
- upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself
- known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
-
- 4. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the
- place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his
- feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
-
- 5. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will
- do.
-
- 6. And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all
- that her mother in law bade her.
-
- 7. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry,
- he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came
- softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
-
- 8. And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and
- turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
-
- 9. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine
- handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou
- art a near kinsman.
-
- 10. And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for
- thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the
- beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor
- or rich.
-
- 11. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that
- thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou
- art a virtuous woman.
-
- 12. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there
- is a kinsman nearer than I.
-
- 13. Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he
- will perform unto 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 will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD
- liveth: lie down until the morning.
-
- 14. And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up
- before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known
- that a woman came into the floor.
-
- 15. Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and
- hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley,
- and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
-
- 16. And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art
- thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to
- her.
-
- 17. And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for
- he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
-
- 18. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how
- the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he
- have finished the thing this day.
-
-
- CHAPTER 4
-
-
- 1. Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and,
- behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said,
- Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside,
- and sat down.
-
- 2. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit
- ye down here. And they sat down.
-
- 3. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out
- of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our
- brother Elimelech's:
-
- 4. And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the
- inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt
- redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell
- me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee;
- and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
-
- 5. Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of
- Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of
- the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
-
- 6. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I
- mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I
- cannot redeem it.
-
- 7. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning
- redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a
- man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this
- was a testimony in Israel.
-
- 8. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he
- drew off his shoe.
-
- 9. And Boaz said 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.
-
- 10. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I
- purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his
- inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among
- his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses
- this day.
-
- 11. 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 like Leah, which two did build the
- house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous
- in Bethlehem:
-
- 12. And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar
- bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of
- this young woman.
-
- 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in
- unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
-
- 14. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which
- hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may
- be famous in Israel.
-
- 15. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a
- nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth
- thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
-
- 16. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and
- became nurse unto it.
-
- 17. And the women her neighbours 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.
-
- 18. Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat
- Hezron,
-
- 19. And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
-
- 20. And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
-
- 21. And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
-
- 22. And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
-