CHAPTER 2
1 Forsooth a mighty man and a man of great riches, Boaz by name, was kinsman of Elimelech.
2 And Ruth of Moab said to her mother-in-law, If thou commandest, I shall go into the field, and I shall gather ears of corn that flee the hands of reapers, wherever I shall find grace of an husbandman merciful in me. To whom she answered, Go, my daughter.
3 Therefore she went, and gathered ears of corn after the backs of reapers. And it befelled, that Boaz was lord of that field, that was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 And lo! Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to his reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered to him, The Lord bless thee.
5 And Boaz said to the young man that was chief over the reapers, Who is this damsel?
6 And he answered, This is the woman of Moab, that came with Naomi from the country of Moab;
7 and she prayed, that she should gather ears of corn leaving behind, and follow the steps of [the] reapers; and from the morrowtide till now she standeth in the field, and soothly neither at a moment she turned again home.
8 And Boaz said to Ruth, Daughter, hear thou; go thou not into another field to gather, neither go away from this place, but be thou joined to my damsels,
9 and follow thou where they reap; for I [have] commanded to my young men, that no man be dis-easeful to thee; but also if thou thirstest, go to the fardels, and drink waters, of which my young men drink.
10 And she felled on her face, and worshipped or honoured on the earth; and she said to him, Whereof is this to me, that I should find grace before thine eyes, that thou wouldest know me, a strange woman?
11 To whom Boaz answered, All things be told to me, that thou hast done to thy mother-in-law after the death of thine husband, and that thou hast forsaken thy father and thy mother, and the land that thou were born in, and thou art come to a people, that thou hast not known before.
12 The Lord yield to thee for thy work, and receive thou full meed of the Lord God of Israel, to whom thou camest, and under whose wings thou fleddest.
13 And she said, My lord, I have found grace before thine eyes, and thou hast comforted me, and thou hast spoken to the heart of thine handmaid, which am not like one of thine handmaids.
14 And Boaz said to her, When the hour of eating is, come thou hither, and eat bread, and wet thy morsel in vinegar. Therefore she sat at the side of [the] reapers; and he dressed to her pottage, and she ate, and was filled; and she took the remnants.
15 And she rose from thence to gather the ears of corn, by custom. And Boaz commanded to his young men, and said, Also if she will reap with you, forbid ye not her,
16 and also cast ye forth to her handfuls of or on purpose, and suffer ye those to abide, that she gather those without shame; and no man reprove her gathering them.
17 Therefore she gathered in the field till to eventide; and she beat with a rod, and shook out those things that she had gathered; and she found of barley as the measure of ephah.
18 Which she bare, and turned again into the city, and showed to her mother-in-law; furthermore she brought forth, and gave to her the remnants of her meat, with which meat she was fulfilled.
19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where hast thou gathered this today, and where hast thou done this work? Blessed be he, that had mercy on thee. And Ruth told to her mother-in-law with whom she wrought; and she said that the man’s name was called Boaz.
20 To whom Naomi answered, Blessed be he of the Lord, for he [hath] kept also to dead men the same grace, which he gave to the quick. And again she said, He is our kinsman.
21 And Ruth said, Also he commanded this thing to me, that so long I should be joined to his reapers, till all his corns were reaped.
22 To whom her mother-in-law said, My daughter, it is better, that thou go out to reap with his damsels, lest in an-other field any man against-stand thee.
23 And so Ruth was joined to the damsels of Boaz; and so long she reaped with them, till both the barley and the wheat were enclosed in the barns.