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→Chapter 3
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|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?
|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?
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|Now Naomi, mother-in-law of Ruth, said to her, "My daughter, I should find you a place of rest, that will be good for you.
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|Naomi wants to settle Ruth properly.
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|And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.
|And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.
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|That fellow Boaz, with whose young women you were working: he's a close relative, is he not? And guess what! Tonight he will be winnowing barley in the threshing-floor.
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|The threshing-floor is a special, reserved area near any farming village. There a farmer winnows grain, separating it from the chaff.
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|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.
|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.
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|So: wash yourself, and rub oil into your skin, and put on your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you're there until he has finished eating and drinking.
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|In the warm-weather climate of the region, sealing the skin with oil was quite a luxury.
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|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.
|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.
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|Now make sure of this: when he lies down, mark the place where he lies, go in, expose his feet, and lie down ''next to him''. He will then tell you what to do ''next''.
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|This is the most controversial part of the whole Ruth story. Was Naomi telling Ruth to throw herself at Boaz? Exposing the feet at night when persons of the opposite sex were together was a ''very'' serious matter in that culture.
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|And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
|And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
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|Ruth said to her, "I will do everything you say."
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|What Ruth must have thought of these orders, none can speculate.
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|And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
|And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
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|So she went down to the threshing floor, and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
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|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.
|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.
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|When Boaz was finished eating and drinking, and he felt good, he went to lie down at the end of a pile of threshed grain. She came by stealth, exposed his feet, and lay down.
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|And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
|And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
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|It happened at midnight, that the man trembled and thrust himself away. And what should he see, but a woman lying at his feet!
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|Boaz must have had a strange and troubling dream. He moved in response, and woke up, the same as anyone might do from a bad dream. Seeing this young woman lying that close to him would fill him with fresh alarm.
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|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.
|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.
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|He said "Who are '''you'''?!?" In answer she said, "I am Ruth, your handmaiden. Spread the hem of your robe over your handmaid, because you are my kinsman-redeemer."
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|"To spread the hem of one's robe over one" is a Hebrew idiom for a man marrying a woman. Ruth did not "dance around." Instead of trying to seduce him, or whatever Naomi was suggesting, she asked him frankly to marry her and perform the office of a kinsman-redeemer. As we shall see, honesty is the best policy, even in a connection like this.
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|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.
|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.
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|So he said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have now showed a greater kindness this time than you did at the beginning, by not running after a younger man, whether he be poor or rich."
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|Ruth was ''not'' obliged to Naomi to fulfill any part of the levirate transaction. She would have been perfectly within her rights to marry a man younger than Boaz was. By the best reckoning available, Boaz was 124 years old at the time.
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|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.
|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.
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|"And now, my daughter, have no fear. I will do everything for you that you ask. Everyone in town knows you are a woman of virtue.
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|And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
|And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
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|"Now while it is true that I am near of kin, there is another man nearer of kin to you than I am.
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|This nearer kinsman was most likely Elimelech's first cousin and therefore the late Mahlon's first cousin once removed. Boaz was Mahlon's great-great uncle, therefore one degree further removed in kinship than was this never-named kinsman.
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|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.
|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.
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|"Stay the night here. Tomorrow morning, if ''this near-kinsman'' will redeem you, let him redeem you. But if he will not redeem you, then I will, as the LORD lives! Lie down here until morning."
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|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.
|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.
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|So she lay at his feet until morning. She got up before either could know the other. He said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came into the threshing-floor."
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|Boaz wants to avoid scandal.
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|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.
|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.
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|He also said, "Bring the shawl you are wearing, and hold it." As she held it, he measured out six ''standard'' barley ''measures'', and set it on her ''shoulders'', and went into town.
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|The barley-measure referred to here was probably one-third ephah.
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|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.
|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.
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|When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi said, "What happened, my daughter?" And Ruth told Naomi everything the man had done for her.
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|The Hebrew is inexact, and better translates as "What happened" instead of "Who are you".
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|And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
|And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
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|And Ruth said, "He gave me these six barley ''measures''. He told me, 'Don't go ''back'' to your mother-in-law empty-''handed''.'"
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|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.
|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.
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|Then Naomi said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall out. This man will not rest until he settles this matter today."
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==Chapter 4==
==Chapter 4==