1 N ow Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

2 A nd Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. Naomi said to her, Go, my daughter.

3 A nd went and gleaned in a field after the reapers; and she happened to stop at the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

4 A nd behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, The Lord be with you! And they answered him, The Lord bless you!

5 T hen Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose maiden is this?

6 A nd the servant set over the reapers answered, She is the Moabitish girl who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.

7 A nd she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came and has continued from early morning until now, except when she rested a little in the house.

8 T hen Boaz said to Ruth, Listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but stay here close by my maidens.

9 W atch which field they reap, and follow them. Have I not charged the young men not to molest you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.

10 T hen she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should notice me, when I am a foreigner?

11 A nd Boaz said to her, I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to a people unknown to you before.

12 T he Lord recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under Whose wings you have come to take refuge!

13 T hen she said, Let me find favor in your sight, my lord. For you have comforted me and have spoken to the heart of your maidservant, though I am not as one of your maidservants.

14 A nd at mealtime Boaz said to her, Come here and eat of the bread and dip your morsel in the sour wine. And she sat beside the reapers; and he passed her some parched grain, and she ate until she was satisfied and she had some left.

15 A nd when she got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.

16 A nd let fall some handfuls for her on purpose and let them lie there for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.

17 S o she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned. It was about an ephah of barley.

18 A nd she took it up and went into the town; she showed her mother-in-law what she had gleaned, and she also brought forth and gave her the food she had reserved after she was satisfied.

19 A nd her mother-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who noticed you. So told, The name of him with whom I worked today is Boaz.

20 A nd Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of the Lord who has not ceased his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is a near relative of ours, one who has the right to redeem us.

21 A nd Ruth the Moabitess said, He said to me also, Stay close to my young men until they have harvested my entire crop.

22 A nd Naomi said to Ruth, It is good, my daughter, for you to go out with his maidens, lest in any other field you be molested.

23 S o she kept close to the maidens of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.