Book of Ruth

Ruth is the eighth book in the Old Testament of the Bible, part of Ketuvim.

The book describes an event that happened during the time of the judges, and concludes with the details of David, King of Israel, who is a descendant of the heroes of the scroll. The scroll was written by the prophet Samuel. It unfolds the story of Ruth the convert, who follows her Jewish mother-in-law to the fields of Bethlehem, the process of her acclimatization and rooting in Jewish society and becoming the mother of the Israeli queen. An ancient Jewish custom is in some communities to read the scroll on Shavuot.

Naomi and her husband had two sons. Although they were Israelites, the family had emigrated to Moab (modern Jordan). Naomi's husband died and her sons married Moabite women. Then, within ten years, Naomi's sons had died as well. Naomi was left with two childless daughters-in-law. Naomi prepared to return to her homeland and say goodbye to her daughters-in-law, whom she implored to go back to live in their mothers' homes and find new husbands, as both women were still young.

Naomi sent Orpah back to her home with a kiss, but Ruth clung to her and insisted on joining Naomi.

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:

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. וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל־תִּפְגְּעִי־בִי לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִךְ כִּי אֶל־אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָֽי׃

בַּאֲשֶׁר תָּמוּתִי אָמוּת וְשָׁם אֶקָּבֵר כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה לִי וְכֹה יֹסִיף כִּי הַמָּוֶת יַפְרִיד בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵֽךְ׃

(Ruth 1:15-16)

So Ruth traveled by the side of her mother-in-law to Bethlehem where Naomi was recognized with some cheer, but Naomi told them of her plight and sorrow and that her life had become bitter.

In Chapter 2, we have the barley harvest, where Ruth tells Naomi she wishes to go into the fields and pick up whatever the harvesters had missed, and in that way provide food for herself and Naomi. She turned up in the field of a man named Boaz who was a relative of Naomi, and had heard of Ruth's kindness to Naomi. He looked out for Ruth, telling her to continue to pick the leftovers in his field, as he had instructed that she was not to be bothered. When Ruth went back to Naomi at the end of the day and Naomi asked her where she had found such favor, she was pleased to learn it was with Boaz, a close relative. Ruth continued to pick in Boaz's field and provide for her mother-in-law until the harvest was finished, at which time Naomi told Ruth the Jewish custom of how to show interest in being taken as a wife, and who better than with Boaz?

Boaz was flattered, especially since she had chosen him, a man along in years, when she was so young. However, under Jewish law, there was another relative (closer in kinship) who had first right to marry Ruth; that relative refused to confuse the inheritance of his own line and disclaimed the match, clearing the way for Boaz to take Ruth as his wife.

The two were married, and first child born was considered to be Naomi's son carrying on the line of her deceased husband, as was the Jewish custom. And that child was named Obed, he was the father of Jesse, and grandfather of King David (making Ruth his great-grandmother).

Ruth is one of two non-Jewish women (Rahab the harlot being the other) who converted to Judaism, in the lineage from which Jesus came according to Christian tradition.