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→Chapter 2
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|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 Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
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|Now Naomi had a near relative of her husbands, a most prominent and wealthy citizen, belonging to Elimelech's family. His name was [[Boaz]].
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|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.
|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.
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|Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go into the field and glean barley ears in the land of anyone with whom I might find favor." And Naomi told her, "Go, my daughter."
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|Gleaning was the [[welfare]] system of the day. The law instructed farmers never to harvest to the edge of their property, but always to leave the margin unharvested. Then any poor person in the village, willing to work, could go in and harvest what he needed from that margin. Furthermore, a harvester was not supposed to stoop and gather up every last kernel. Whatever fell to the ground, he must leave for gleaners. It let the harvesters gather the crop with minimal waste of time, and left something for those who couldn't even afford a farm.
Perhaps in that same spirit, the laws of the modern Republic of Israel forbid the grant or recognition of any patent on any invention or process having to do with agriculture.
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|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.
|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.
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|Off Ruth went. She came to the local farmlands, and started gleaning in the fields, walking behind the harvesters. And she happened to stray onto the farmland belonging to Boaz, kinsman of Elimelech.
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|And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
|And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
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|That very day, Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to his harvesters, "May the LORD be with you." They said in answer, "May the LORD bless you."
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|The word rendered "behold" is a term of emphasis.
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|Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
|Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
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|Then Boaz said to his harvest boss, "To whom does this young woman belong?"
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|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:
|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:
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|The harvest boss said, "This is the young Moabitish woman who came back with Naomi out of Moabite country.
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|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.
|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.
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|"She said, 'Please let me glean and gather behind your harvesters from among the sheaves.' So I let her come in, and she has been working at it since this morning. She's still at it, though she did take a short break inside the house."
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|The Israelites commonly tied bundles, or sheaves, of any grain and stood them upright to let them sprout before winnowing. Sprouted grains are known to be more nutritious than the conventional ground grains on most modern Western dinner tables.
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|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:
|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:
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|So Boaz told Ruth, "You do hear me, don't you? Do not go to glean in another field. Don't even go from here. I want you with my young women.
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|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.
|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.
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|"Keep your eyes on the part of the field they are harvesting, and follow along after them. Furthermore, I have ordered the young men not to touch you in any way. When you are thirsty, you may go to these water pots and drink the water the young men have drawn."
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|This is probably the first anti-sexual-harassment policy on record. Furthermore, Boaz' water offer is the equivalent of a business person, running an office, letting a homeless person come into the office to do odd jobs and letting that person drink from the water cooler whenever he or she needs a drink.
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|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?
|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?
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|Ruth fell on her face and bowed low to the ground. She asked him, "How did I find such favor in your sight? Why should you even notice me, an immigrant alien?"
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|Ruth is thinking like a Moabite. Those people were probably not nice to immigrants, and did not have the gleaning law or anything like it.
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|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.
|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.
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|Boaz, in answer, told her, "Everyone has told me, in full detail, about everything you did for your mother-in-law after your husband died. They told me how you left your father and mother, and the land of your birth, and came to a people you didn't even know before.
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|Literally, "a people you did not know three days before." When men first began to count, they typically counted "one, two, many." Using "three" for "many" is idiomatic here.
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|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.
|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.
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|"May the LORD reward you for your work. May you receive a full reward from the LORD God of Israel, to whom you have come to seek His protection."
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|Literally, "to take refuge under His wings," a common Hebrew idiom.
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|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.
|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.
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|Then she said, "I hope I can find favor in your sight, my lord. You have comforted me, and shown friendship-from-the-heart to your handmaiden, though I do not rank with your handmaidens."
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|Ruth is "blown away" with the kindness Boaz offers.
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|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.
|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.
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|And Boaz told her, "At mealtime, you may come here, eat our bread, and dip your bread in the vinegar." Thus she sat beside the harvesters. He offered her parched grain, and she ate her fill, and had grain left over.
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|Boaz adds one favor to another: now he lets her dine with his workforce, something the gleaning law did ''not'' require.
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|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:
|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:
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|When she had gone up to glean again, Boaz gave this order to his young men: "Let her glean even between and among the sheaves, and don't forbid her.
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|And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
|And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
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|"Furthermore, as you pass your sickles, let some grain fall to the ground on purpose for her to gather. Let them be, and don't forbid her to take them."
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|In doing this, Boaz is actually taking full responsibility for Ruth's and Naomi's welfare, in the best way that the law and custom allow. This also preserves dignity on all sides.
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|So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
|So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
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|So she gleaned in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gleaned, and had gathered about an ephah of barley.
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|One ephah was roughly equal to one dry [[bushel]].
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|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.
|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.
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|Carrying this, she went into town. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She brought it out to Naomi, and also gave her the excess parched grain she had taken away with her ''from Boaz' table''.
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|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.
|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.
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|Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where have you been gleaning today?" Where did you work? Let him be blessed who took notice of you." And she told her mother-in-law all about the man with whom she had worked. She said, "The man I worked with today is named Boaz."
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|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.
|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.
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|Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by the LORD, Who did not leave off his kindness to the living and the dead." Naomi further said to her, "This man is our next-of-kin! ''In fact, he can act as'' our kinsman-redeemer!"
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|Naomi, for the first time, speaks of the levirate obligation never to let land pass out of the family. The family member who, according to this law, bought land from a family member in such a "fire sale" was called a kinsman-redeemer ({{Hebrew Name|כאל|ga'al}})
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==Chapter 3==
==Chapter 3==