¹Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth , of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz .

²Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi , “Let me now go to the field , and glean amongst the ears of grain after him in whose sight I find favour .”

She said to her , “Go , my daughter .”

³She went , and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers ; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz , who was of the family of Elimelech.

⁴Behold , Boaz came from Bethlehem , and said to the reapers , “May the LORD be with you .”

They answered him , “May the LORD bless you .”

⁵Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers , “Whose young lady is this ?”

⁶The servant who was set over the reapers answered , “It is the Moabite lady who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab .

⁷She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers amongst the sheaves .’ So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now , except that she rested a little in the house .”

⁸Then Boaz said to Ruth , “Listen , my daughter . Don’t go to glean in another field , and don’t go from here , but stay here close to my maidens .

⁹Let your eyes be on the field that they reap , and go after them . Haven’t I commanded the young men not to touch you ? When you are thirsty , go to the vessels , and drink from that which the young men have drawn .”

¹⁰Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground , and said to him , “Why have I found favour in your sight , that you should take knowledge of me , since I am a foreigner ?”

¹¹Boaz answered her , “I have been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father, your mother, and the land of your birth , and have come to a people that you didn’t know before .

¹²May the LORD repay your work , and a full reward be given to you from the LORD , the God of Israel , under whose wings you have come to take refuge .”

¹³Then she said , “Let me find favour in your sight , my lord, because you have comforted me , and because you have spoken kindly to your servant , though I am not as one of your servants .”

¹⁴At meal time Boaz said to her , “Come here , and eat some bread , and dip your morsel in the vinegar .”

She sat beside the reapers , and they passed her parched grain . She ate, was satisfied , and left some of it .

¹⁵When she had risen up to glean , Boaz commanded his young men , saying, “Let her glean even amongst the sheaves , and don’t reproach her .

¹⁶Also pull out some for her from the bundles , and leave it . Let her glean , and don’t rebuke her .”

¹⁷So she gleaned in the field until evening ; and she beat out that which she had gleaned , and it was about an ephah of barley .[#2:17 1 ephah is about 22 litres or about 2/3 of a bushel]

¹⁸She took it up , and went into the city . Then her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned ; and she brought out and gave to her that which she had left after she had enough .

¹⁹Her mother-in-law said to her , “Where have you gleaned today ? Where have you worked ? Blessed be he who noticed you .”

She told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked , “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz .”

²⁰Naomi said to her daughter-in-law , “May he be blessed by the LORD , who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and to the dead .” Naomi said to her , “The man is a close relative to us , one of our near kinsmen .”

²¹Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes , he said to me , ‘You shall stay close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest .’”

²²Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law , “It is good , my daughter , that you go out with his maidens , and that they not meet you in any other field .”

²³So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz , to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest ; and she lived with her mother-in-law .