Ruth 3

¹ Naomi, her husband's mother, said to her, My daughter, behold, I should seek a resting place for you that it may be well with you. ² Now behold, there is our near relative Boaz with whose maidens you have been. Behold, he will be winnowing barley on the threshing site tonight. ³ So bathe and use lotion, put your raiment on you, and go down to the threshing site. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ When it occurs that he lies down, then get to know the place where he lies. Later you must go there, expose his feet and lie down. As for him, he shall tell you what you should do. ⁵ Ruth replied to her, All that you say I shall do. ⁶ So she went down to the threshing site and did according to all that her husband's mother had instructed her. ⁷ Boaz ate and drank, and his heart felt good when he came to lie down at the end of the grain-pile. Later she went there with stealth, exposed his feet and lay down. ⁸ It came about at midnight that the man began to tremble and bent forward; and behold, there was a woman lying at his feet. ⁹ He asked, Who are you? And she replied, I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread the hem of your garment over your maidservant, since you are a kinsman redeemer. ¹⁰ At that he said, Blessed be you by Yahweh, my daughter! You have shown your latter kindness to be better than the first, in not going at all after the men in their prime, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, do not fear. All that you ask I shall do for you; for all the gate of my people is knowing that you are an able woman. ¹² But now, though it is true that I am a kinsman redeemer, there is however a kinsman redeemer nearer than I. ¹³ Lodge here tonight. Then it will come to pass in the morning: if he redeems you, good; let him redeem. Yet if he is not inclined to redeem you, I myself will redeem you, as Yahweh lives! Lie down until the morning. ¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until the morning; yet she arose ere a man could recognize his associate, for Boaz thought, It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing site. ¹⁵ He said to her, Get the shawl that is on you, and hold it out. So she held it while he measured out six measures of barley and set it on her back. Then she entered the city. ¹⁶ She came to her husband's mother who asked, How did you fare, my daughter? So she told her all that the man had done for her; ¹⁷ and she added, These six measures of barley gave he to me, saying, You must not come back empty-handed to your husband's mother. ¹⁸ She replied, Stay here, my daughter, until you come to know how the matter turns out. For the man shall not be quiet unless he concludes the matter today