Bible (American Standard)/Ruth

The Book of Ruth
==Chapter 1==
 And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged,
that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of
Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and
his wife, and his two sons. 
 And the name of the man was
Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his
two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And
they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 
 And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her
two sons. 
 And they took them wives of the women of Moab;
the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth:
and they dwelt there about ten years. 
 And Mahlon and
Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two
children and of her husband.
 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she
might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the
country of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people in
giving them bread. 
 And she went forth out of the place
where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they
went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 
 And
Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you
to her mother's house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have
dealt with the dead, and with me. 
 Jehovah grant you that
ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then
she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
 And they said unto her, Nay, but we will return with thee
unto thy people. 
 And Naomi said, Turn again, my
daughters: why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb,
that they may be your husbands? 
 Turn again, my daughters,
go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should
say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and
should also bear sons; 
 would ye therefore tarry till they
were grown? would ye therefore stay from having husbands? nay,
my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the
hand of Jehovah is gone forth against me. 
 And they lifted
up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her
mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.
 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back
unto her people, and unto her god: return thou after thy
sister-in-law. 
 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave
thee, and 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: Jehovah do so to
me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. 
 And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her,
she left off speaking unto her.
 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it
came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the
city was moved about them, and [the women] said, Is this Naomi?
 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara;
for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 
 I went
out full, and Jehovah hath brought me home again empty; why call
ye me Naomi, seeing Jehovah hath testified against me, and the
Almighty hath afflicted me? 
 So Naomi returned, and Ruth
the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out
of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the
beginning of barley harvest.
==Chapter 2==
 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man
of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to
the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose
sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my
daughter. 
 And she went, and came and gleaned in the field
after the reapers: and her hap was to light on the portion of
the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of
Elimelech. 
 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said
unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him,
Jehovah bless thee. 
 Then said Boaz unto his servant that
was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 
 And the
servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is
the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the
country of Moab: 
 And she said, Let me glean, I pray you,
and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and
hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she
tarried a little in the house.
 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my
daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from
hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. 
 Let thine eyes
be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have
I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and
when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that
which the young men have drawn. 
 Then she fell on her
face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why
have I found favor in thy sight, that thou shouldest take
knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? 
 And Boaz
answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shown me, all
that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of
thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother,
and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that
thou knewest not heretofore. 
 Jehovah recompense thy work,
and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel,
under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. 
 Then she
said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, for that thou
hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken kindly unto thy
handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.
 And at meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and
eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat
beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she
did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. 
 And when she
was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let
her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. 
 And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it,
and let her glean, and rebuke her not.
 So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat
out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of
barley. 
 And she took it up, and went into the city; and
her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought
forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was
sufficed. 
 And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast
thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he
that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her
mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's
name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. 
 And Naomi said
unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not
left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi
said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near
kinsmen. 
 And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto
me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended
all my harvest. 
 And Naomi said unto Ruth her
daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with
his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field.
 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto
the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt
with her mother-in-law.
==Chapter 3==
 And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter,
shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
 And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou
wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the
threshing-floor. 
 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee,
and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the
threshing-floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until
he shall have done eating and drinking. 
 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
she said unto her, All that thou sayest I will do.
 And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did
according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. 
 And when
Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to
lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly,
and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 
 And it came to
pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself;
and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 
 And he said, Who art
thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore
thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. 
 And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast
showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning,
inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all
that thou sayest; for all the city of my people doth know that
thou art a worthy woman. 
 And now it is true that I am a
near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. 
 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he
will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do
the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman
to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as
Jehovah liveth: lie down until the morning.
 And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she
rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it
not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. 
 And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it;
and she held it; and he measured six [measures] of barley, and
laid it on her: and he went into the city. 
 And when she
came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter?
And she told her all that the man had done to her. 
 And
she said, These six [measures] of barley gave he me; for he
said, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law. 
 Then said she,
Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will
fall; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the
thing this day.
==Chapter 4==
 Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat him down there:
and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto
whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he
turned aside, and sat down. 
 And he took ten men of the
elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat
down. 
 And he said unto the near kinsman, Naomi, that is
come again out of the country of Moab, selleth the parcel of
land, which was our brother Elimelech's: 
 And I thought to
disclose it unto thee, saying, Buy it before them that sit here,
and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it,
redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I
may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am
after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. 
 Then said Boaz,
What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must
buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to
raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 
 And
the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar
mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee;
for I cannot redeem it.
 Now this was [the custom] in former time in Israel
concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all
things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor;
and this was the [manner of] attestation in Israel. 
 So the
near kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off
his shoe. 
 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the
people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that
was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the
hand of Naomi. 
 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of
Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of
the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not
cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place:
ye are witnesses this day. 
 And all the people that were
in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah
make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like
Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou
worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem: 
 and
let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto
Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young
woman.
 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he
went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare
a son. 
 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah,
who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; and let
his name be famous in Israel. 
 And he shall be unto thee a
restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy
daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than
seven sons, hath borne him. 
 And Naomi took the child, and
laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 
 And the
women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born
to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of
Jesse, the father of David.
 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat
Hezron, 
 and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
 and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
 and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 
 and
Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.