Ruth 3

¹ And Naomi her mother-in-law saith to her, 'My daughter, do not I seek for thee rest, that it may be well with thee ?

² and now, is not Boaz of our acquaintance, with whose young women thou hast been ? lo, he is winnowing the threshing-floor of barley to-night,

³ and thou hast bathed, and anointed thyself, and put thy garments upon thee, and gone down to the threshing-floor ; let not thyself be known to the man till he complete to eat and to drink ;

⁴ and it cometh to pass when he lieth down, that thou hast known the place where he lieth down, and hast gone in, and uncovered his feet, and lain down, — and he doth declare to thee that which thou dost do.'

⁵ And she saith unto her, 'All that thou sayest — I do.'

⁶ And she goeth down [to] the threshing-floor, and doth according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her

⁷ And Boaz eateth and drinketh, and his heart is glad ; and he goeth in to lie down at the end of the heap ; and she cometh in gently, and uncovereth his feet, and lieth down.

⁸ And it cometh to pass, at the middle of the night, that the man trembleth, and turneth himself, and lo, a woman is lying at his feet.

⁹ And he saith, 'Who [art] thou ?' and she saith, 'I [am] Ruth thy handmaid, and thou hast spread thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou [art] a redeemer.'

¹⁰ And he saith, 'Blessed [art] thou of Jehovah, my daughter ; thou hast dealt more kindly at the latter end than at the beginning — not to go after the young men, either poor or rich.

¹¹ And now, my daughter, fear not, all that thou sayest I do to thee, for all the gate of my people doth know that thou [art] a virtuous woman.

¹² And now, surely, true, that I [am] a redeemer, but also there is a redeemer nearer than I.

¹³ Lodge to night, and it hath been in the morning, if he doth redeem thee, well : he redeemeth ; and if he delight not to redeem thee, then I have redeemed thee — I ; Jehovah liveth ! lie down till the morning.'

¹⁴ And she lieth down at his feet till the morning, and riseth before one doth discern another ; and he saith, 'Let it not be known that the woman hath come into the floor.'

¹⁵ And he saith, 'Give the covering which [is] on thee, and keep hold on it ;' and she keepeth hold on it, and he measureth six [measures] of barley, and layeth [it] on her ; and he goeth into the city.

¹⁶ And she cometh in unto her mother-in-law, and she saith, 'Who [art] thou, my daughter ?' and she declareth to her all that the man hath done to her.

¹⁷ And she saith, 'These six [measures] of barley he hath given to me, for he said, Thou dost not go in empty unto thy mother-in-law.'

¹⁸ And she saith, 'Sit still, my daughter, till thou dost know how the matter falleth, for the man doth not rest except he hath completed the matter to-day.'