Ruth 3

Modern

Literal

Ruth’s Redemption Assured

¹One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?

¹And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek for you a resting place, that it may be well with you?

²Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

²And is not Boaz our relative, whose young women you were with? Behold, he is winnowing on the threshing floor of barley tonight.

³Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

³And you shall wash, and you shall anoint yourself, and you shall put your garments on you, and you shall go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking.

⁴When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.”

⁴And it shall come to pass, when he lies down, that you shall know the place where he lies down, and you shall go in and you shall uncover his feet and lie down, and he—he will tell you what you shall do.”

⁵“I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.

⁵And she said to her, “All that you say to me, I will do.”

⁶So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.

⁶And she went down to the threshing floor, and she did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

⁷After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

⁷And Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was good, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap. And she came in secrecy and uncovered his feet and lay down.

⁸At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!

⁸And it came to pass in the middle of the night that the man trembled and turned himself, and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.

⁹“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment^a over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”^b

⁹And he said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am Ruth your maidservant. And you shall spread your wing over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”

¹⁰Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

¹⁰And he said, “Blessed are you to YHWH, my daughter. For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after the young men, whether poor or rich.

¹¹And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.

¹¹And now, my daughter, do not fear. All that you say, I will do for you, for all the gate of my people knows that you are a woman of virtue.

¹²Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I.^a

¹²And now it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, But also there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I.

¹³Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.”

¹³Lodge the night, and it shall be in the morning that if he does redeem you, good; let him redeem. And if he does not want to redeem you, then I will redeem you myself, as YHWH lives. Lie down until the morning.”

¹⁴So she lay down at his feet until morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her.

Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁴And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she arose before a man could recognize his companion. And he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁵And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured in six measures of barley^a and placed it on her. Then he went^b into the city.

¹⁵And he said, “Give the cloak that is on you, 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.

¹⁶When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her.

¹⁶And she came to her mother-in-law, and she said, “Who are you, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her.

¹⁷And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

¹⁷And she said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go in empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

¹⁸“Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.”

¹⁸And she said, “Sit, my daughter, until that you know how the matter will fall. For the man will not rest until that he finishes the matter today.”