Chapter 3

Then Naomi her mother in law said⁴ unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek¹⁷ rest for thee, that it may be well⁴ with thee?

And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth⁶ barley to night in the threshingfloor.

Wash¹ thyself therefore, and anoint¹ thee, and put¹ thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down¹ to the floor: [but] make not thyself known¹¹ unto the man, until he shall have done¹⁵ eating² and drinking.²

And it shall be, when he lieth down,² that thou shalt mark¹ the place where he shall lie,⁴ and thou shalt go in,¹ and uncover¹⁴ his feet, and lay thee down;¹ and he will tell⁵⁵ thee what thou shalt do.⁴

And she said⁴ unto her, All that thou sayest⁴ unto me I will do.⁴

And she went down⁴ unto the floor, and did⁴ according to all that her mother in law bade¹⁴ her.

And when Boaz had eaten⁴ and drunk,⁴ and his heart was merry,⁴ he went⁴ to lie down² at the end of the heap of corn: and she came⁴ softly, and uncovered¹⁷ his feet, and laid her down.⁴

And it came to pass at midnight, ³⁹¹⁵ that the man was afraid,⁴ and turned¹¹ himself: and, behold, a woman lay⁶ at his feet.

And he said,⁴ Who [art] thou? And she answered,⁴ I [am] Ruth thine handmaid: spread¹ therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman.⁶

And he said,⁴ Blessed⁷ [be] thou of the LORD, my daughter: [for] thou hast shewed more⁵² kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst^{2 310} not young men, whether poor or rich.

And now, my daughter, fear⁴ not; I will do⁴ to thee all that thou requirest:⁴ for all the city of my people doth know⁶ that thou [art] a virtuous woman.

And now it is true that I [am thy] near kinsman:⁶ howbeit there is a kinsman⁶ nearer than I.

Tarry³ this night, and it shall be in the morning, [that] if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman,⁴ well; let him do the kinsman's part:⁴ but if he will⁴ not do the part of a kinsman² to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman¹ to thee, [as] the LORD liveth: lie down³ until the morning.

And she lay⁴ at his feet until the morning: and she rose up⁴ before one could know⁵⁵ another. And he said,⁴ Let it not be known¹¹ that a woman came¹ into the floor.

Also he said,⁴ Bring³ the vail that [thou hast] upon thee, and hold³ it. And when she held⁴ it, he measured⁴ six [measures] of barley, and laid⁴ [it] on her: and she went⁴ into the city.

And when she came⁴ to her mother in law, she said,⁴ Who [art] thou, my daughter? And she told⁵⁵ her all that the man had done¹ to her.

And she said,⁴ These six [measures] of barley gave¹ he me; for he said¹ to me, Go⁴ not empty unto thy mother in law.

Then said⁴ she, Sit still,³ my daughter, until thou know⁴ how the matter will fall:⁴ for the man will not be in rest,⁴ until he have finished¹⁴ the thing this day.