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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.  

|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.

|"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.

|The threshing-floor is a special, reserved area near any farming village. There a farmer winnows grain, separating it from the chaff.

|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.  

|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.

|"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.

|In the warm-weather climate of the region, sealing the skin with oil was quite a luxury.

|In the warm-weather climate of the region, sealing the skin with oil was quite a luxury.

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|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.  

|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.  

|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''.

|"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''."

|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.

|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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|8

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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.  

|It happened at midnight, that the man trembled and thrust himself away. And what should he see, but a woman lying at his feet!

|It happened at midnight, that the man trembled and awoke with a start. And what should he see, but a woman lying at his feet!

|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.

|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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