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There was a man there who was a relative of Naomi’s dead husband. He was rich and important, and a member of Elimelek’s clan. His name was Boaz. 2 Ruth (the woman from Moab) said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the grain that the harvesters leave behind. I will go behind any harvester who gives me permission.” Naomi replied, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So Ruth went. When she got to the fields, she followed the harvesters and picked up grain. That part of the field just happened to belong to Boaz, Elimelek’s relative.4 Then Boaz returned from town. He greeted the harvesters, saying, “May Yahweh be with you!” They replied, “May Yahweh bless you!”
5 Then Boaz saw Ruth, and asked the foreman, “Who is that young woman related to?” 6 The foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who returned from there with Naomi. 7 She said to me, ‘Please let me pick up the grain that the men who are harvesting leave behind.’ She has worked since early this morning until right now, as she rests for a short time under the shelter.” 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Young lady, please listen to me. You do not need to go to any other field or anywhere else to gather grain. You should stay right here with my servant girls. 9 Watch where the men are harvesting, and follow along behind my servant girls. I have told the men who are harvesting not to assault you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and get some water to drink from the jars that the men have filled.”
10 Then she knelt before him with her face touching the ground. She exclaimed, “Why are you being so kind to me? I did not think you would pay any attention to me, since I am a foreigner!” 11 Boaz replied, “People have told me about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. They told me that you left your parents and your homeland, and you came here to live among people whom you did not previously know. 12 I pray that Yahweh will fully repay you for what you have done. Yes, may Yahweh, the God of Israel, the one whom you are trusting to protect you, reward you in full.”
13 She replied, “Sir, I hope I will continue to please you. You have comforted me by being so kind to me, your servant, and yet I am not even one of your servant girls!”
14 When it was time to eat, Boaz said to her, “Come over here and get some food. Take this bread and dip it in the vinegar and eat it.” Then, when she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all that she wanted and had some left over. 15 After she stood up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his workers, “Even if she gathers some grain near the bundles of grain that you have cut, do not try to stop her. 16 Even more than that, I want you to pull out some stalks of grain from the bundles and leave them on the ground for her to pick up, and do not scold her.”
17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley that she had gathered, to separate the kernels from the stalks. The barley kernels were enough to fill a large basket. 18 She carried it back to town and showed her mother-in-law how much she had gathered. She also gave her mother-in-law the roasted grain that was left over from her lunch. 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you gather all this grain today? In whose field did you work? I pray that God will bless the man who was so kind to you.” Then Ruth told her about the person she had worked with. She said, “The name of the man who owns the field where I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May Yahweh bless him! Yahweh has not stopped acting faithfully toward us who are still living, and to our husbands who have died.” Then she added, “That man is a close relative of Elimelek; in fact, he is one of those responsible for taking care of our family.”
21 Then Ruth, the woman from Moab, said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my workers until they are done bringing in all my grain from the field.’”
22 Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it will be good for you to go to his field with his servant girls, because if you go to someone else’s field, someone might assault you.”
23 So Ruth worked alongside of Boaz’s servant girls. She gathered heads of grain until the workers had finished harvesting both the barley and the wheat. During that time, she continued to live with Naomi.