Ruth 2

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Naomi had a kinsman on her husband's side, wel -to-do and of Elimelech's clan. His name was Boaz.	1 But there was a man related to Elimelech, a powerful man, and very wealthy, named Boaz.
2 Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, 'Let me go into the fields and glean ears of corn in the footsteps ofsome man who will look on me with favour.' She replied, 'Go, daughter.'	2 And Ruth, the Moabite, said to her mother-in-law, “If you order, I will go into the field and gather the ears of grain which escape the reaping hand, wherever I will find favor with the father of a family, who will be compassionate to me.” She answered her, “Go, my daughter.”
3 So she set out and went to glean in the fields behind the reapers. Chance led her to a plot of landbelonging to Boaz of Elimelech's clan.	3 And so she went and gathered the ears of grain after the completion of the reaping. But it happened that this field was owned by Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 Boaz, as it happened, had just come from Bethlehem. 'Yahweh be with you!' he said to the reapers.'Yahweh bless you!' they replied.	4 And behold, he came out of Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered him, “May the Lord bless you.”
5 Boaz said to a servant of his who was in charge of the reapers, 'To whom does this young womanbelong?'	5 And Boaz said to the young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 And the servant in charge of the reapers replied, 'The girl is the Moabitess, the one who came back withNaomi from the Plains of Moab.	6 He answered him, “This is the Moabite woman, who came with Naomi, from the land of the Moabites,
7 She said, "Please let me glean and pick up what fal s from the sheaves behind the reapers." Thus shecame, and here she stayed, with hardly a rest from morning until now.'	7 and she asked to gather the remnants of the ears of grain, following the steps of the reapers, and from morning until now she has remained in the field, and, indeed, not for one moment has she returned home.”
8 Boaz said to Ruth, 'Listen to me, daughter. You must not go gleaning in any other field. You must not goaway from here. Stay close to my work-women.	8 And Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen to me, daughter. Do not go to gather in any other field, nor depart from this place, but join with my young women,
9 Keep your eyes on whatever part of the field they are reaping and fol ow behind. I have forbidden mymen to molest you. And if you are thirsty, go to the pitchers and drink what the servants have drawn.'	9 and follow where they reap. For I given orders to my young men, so that no one is to harass you. And so, whenever you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from the waters that the young men also drink.”
10 Ruth fel on her face, prostrated herself and said, 'How have I attracted your favour, for you to noticeme, who am only a foreigner?'	10 She, falling on her face and paying homage on the ground, said to him: “How did this happen to me, that I should find favor before your eyes, and that you would condescend to accept me, a foreign woman?”
11 Boaz replied, 'I have been told al about the way you have behaved to your mother-in-law since yourhusband's death, and how you left your own father and mother and the land where you were born to come to apeople of whom you previously knew nothing.	11 He answered her, “Everything has been reported to me, what things you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, and how you left your parents, and the land in which you were born, and came to a people you did not know before.
12 May Yahweh repay you for what you have done, and may you be richly rewarded by Yahweh, the Godof Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!'	12 May the Lord repay you for your work, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you have come, and under whose wings you have taken refuge.”
13 She said, 'My lord, I hope you wil always look on me with favour! You have comforted and encouragedme, though I am not even the equal of one of your work-women.'	13 She said, “I have found favor before your eyes, my lord, who has consoled me, and you have spoken to the heart of your handmaid, who is unlike one of your young women.”
14 When it was time to eat, Boaz said to her, 'Come and eat some of this bread and dip your piece in thevinegar.' Ruth sat down beside the reapers and Boaz made a heap of roasted grain for her; she ate til herhunger was satisfied, and she had some left over.	14 And Boaz said to her, “When mealtime begins, come here, and eat bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” And so she sat beside the reapers, and she piled up parched grain for herself, and she ate and was satisfied, and carried off the leftovers.
15 When she had got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his work-people, 'Let her glean among thesheaves themselves. Do not molest her.	15 And then she arose from there, so as to gather the ears of grain, according to the custom. But Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “If she is even willing to reap with you, do not prevent her,
16 And be sure you pull a few ears of corn out of the bundles and drop them. Let her glean them, and donot scold her.'	16 and purposely let fall some from your bundles, and allow them to remain, so that she may gather without blushing, and let no one rebuke her gathering.”
17 So she gleaned in the field till evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned and it came to abouta bushel of barley.	17 And so she gathered in the field until evening. And striking and threshing with a staff what she had gathered, she found about the measure of an ephah of barley, that is, three measures.
18 Taking it with her, she went back to the town. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. Ruth alsotook out what she had kept after eating al she wanted, and gave that to her.	18 Carrying this, she returned into the city and showed it to her mother-in-law. Moreover, she offered it to her and even gave her the leftovers of her food, with which she had been satisfied.
19 Her mother-in-law said, 'Where have you been gleaning today? Where have you been working?Blessed be the man who took notice of you!' Ruth told her mother-in-law in whose field she had been working.'The name of the man with whom I have been working today', she said, 'is Boaz.'	19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gathered today, and where have you found work? Blessed is he who took pity on you!” And she informed her with whom she had been working, and she said the man’s name, that he was called Boaz.
20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, 'May he be blessed by Yahweh who does not withhold his faithfullove from living or dead! This man', Naomi added, 'is a close relation of ours. He is one of those who have theright of redemption over us.'	20 Naomi answered her, “May he be blessed by the Lord, because the same kindness which he provided for the living, he also kept for the dead.” And again she said: “This man is our near relative.”
21 Ruth the Moabitess said to her mother-in-law, 'He also said, "Stay with my work-people until they havefinished my whole harvest." '	21 And Ruth said, “He charged me with this also, that from now on I should join with his reapers until all the crop has been reaped.”
22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, 'It is better for you, daughter, to go with his work-women thanto go to some other field where you might be il -treated.'	22 And her mother-in-law said to her, “It is better, my daughter, to go out reaping with his young women, lest in a stranger’s field someone may confront you.”
23 So she stayed with Boaz's work-women, and gleaned until the barley and wheat harvests werefinished. And she went on living with her mother-in-law.	23 And so, she joined with the young women of Boaz, and from then on reaped with them, until the barley and the wheat were stored in the barns.