Ruth 2

₁Elimelek was the husband of Naomi, but he had died. In the family of Elimelek, there was a rich and important man. His name was Boaz. ₂Ruth asked Naomi: ‘May I go to the fields where the barley grows to pick up some of the barley that falls onto the ground? I will ask them if I may pick it up.’ Naomi said: ‘Yes, my daughter, you may go.’

₃So Ruth went to the barley fields. She was very lucky, but she did not know it, because she went to one of the barley fields of Boaz. He was a man from the family of Elimelek. She started to pick up the barley that fell onto the ground. ₄Just then Boaz came from the town of Bethlehem and he said to his workers: ‘I pray that God will bless you.’ And they said to him: ‘We pray that God will bless you too.’

₅Boaz looked at Ruth and he asked the leader of the people who were cutting the barley: ‘Who is that young woman?’ ₆The leader said: ‘She is the young woman from the land of Moab who came back with Naomi. ₇She asked us if she could walk behind the people who cut the barley to pick up the barley that falls onto the ground. She has worked on the field from this morning until now. She did not go home to rest.’

₈Then Boaz said to Ruth: ‘Young woman, listen to me. Do not go and pick up barley on the field of another man. Do not go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. ₉Look where the workers cut the barley, and pick up the barley that falls onto the ground. Stay with the women who work for me. I told my workers to be good to you. When you want to drink water, go and drink from the water jars that my workers filled with water.’

₁₀Ruth bowed down in front of Boaz and she asked him: ‘Why are you so good to me? I am not from your people. I am a stranger from another land.’

₁₁Boaz said: ‘The people have told me all about the good things that you have done. When your husband died, you helped Naomi and you did a lot of things for her. You went away from your father and your mother and your land. You came to stay with people that you did not know. ₁₂You have come to the God of Israel so that He can help you. I pray that God will be good to you and that He will bless you.’

₁₃Ruth said: ‘Sir, you are very good to me. I am not one of the women who work for you, but you help me and you are good and friendly to me. Thank you.’

₁₄When it was time to eat, Boaz said to Ruth: ‘Come here. Take some of the bread and eat it with the wine.’

Ruth sat down with the workers and Boaz gave her some barley that they had cooked. She ate enough and there was some barley that was left over. ₁₅Then she went back to work to pick_up_barley. Boaz told his workers: ‘Ruth may pick up barley near you and you must help her. ₁₆You must let some barley fall onto the ground so that she can pick it up. You must make it easy for her to pick up a lot of barley.’

₁₇Ruth worked on the field until that evening. Then she hit her barley with a stick until the seeds came out. She had a lot of barley. ₁₈She took the barley back to the town and she showed Naomi how much barley she had picked up. Ruth also gave Naomi the cooked barley that she did not eat when she sat with the workers. ₁₉Naomi asked her: ‘Where did you pick up so much barley today? I pray that God will bless the man who was so good to you.’ Then Ruth told Naomi about the man who said she could pick up barley on his field and she said to Naomi that the name of the man was Boaz.

₂₀Naomi said to Ruth: ‘I pray that God will bless Boaz. God was good to our husbands when they were alive and He is good to us now. That man Boaz is from the family of my husband. He is one of our protectors.’

₂₁Then Ruth, the woman from Moab, said: ‘Boaz also said to me: “You must stay with my workers until they have finished cutting all the barley.” ’

₂₂Naomi said to Ruth: ‘Yes, my daughter, it will be good for you to go with the women who work for Boaz. The workers on another field could give you problems and tell you to go away.’

₂₃So Ruth worked near the women who worked for Boaz until they finished cutting all the barley and she stayed with Naomi in her house.