| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side of the family named Boaz. He was a wealthy, prominent man from the clan of Elimelech. | 1Naomi had a close relative of her late husband, a man of considerable wealth from the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. |
| 2One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields so I can gather grain behind whoever permits me to do so." Naomi replied, "You may go, my daughter." | 2Ruth the Moabite told Naomi, "Please allow me to go out to the fields and glean grain behind anyone who shows me kindness." So Naomi replied, "Go ahead, my daughter." |
| 3So Ruth went and gathered grain in the fields behind the harvesters. Now she just happened to end up in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. | 3So she went out, proceeded to the field, and gleaned behind the harvesters. And it happened that she came to the portion of land belonging to Boaz, of the family of Elimelech. |
| 4Now at that very moment, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "May the LORD be with you!" They replied, "May the LORD bless you!" | 4Now when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he told the harvesters, "The LORD be with you." "May the LORD bless you!" they replied. |
| 5Boaz asked his servant in charge of the harvesters, "To whom does this young woman belong?" | 5At this point, Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, "To whom does this young woman belong?" |
| 6The servant in charge of the harvesters replied, "She's the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab. | 6The foreman of the harvesters answered, "She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. |
| 7She asked, 'May I follow the harvesters and gather grain among the bundles?' Since she arrived she has been working hard from this morning until now--except for sitting in the resting hut a short time." | 7She asked us, 'Please allow me to glean what's left of the grain behind the harvesters.' So she came out and has continued working from dawn until now, except for a short time in a shelter." |
| 8So Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my dear! Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside my female workers. | 8Boaz then addressed Ruth: "Listen, my daughter! Don't glean in any other field. Don't even leave this one, and be sure to stay close to my women servants. |
| 9Take note of the field where the men are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers. I will tell the men to leave you alone. When you are thirsty, you may go to the water jars and drink some of the water the servants draw." | 9Keep your eyes on the field where they are harvesting, and follow them. I've ordered my young men not to bother you, haven't I? And when you are thirsty, drink from the water vessels that the young men have filled." |
| 10Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, "Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner?" | 10At this she fell prostrate, bowing low to the ground, and asked him, "Why is it that you're showing me kindness by noticing me, since I'm a foreigner?" |
| 11Boaz replied to her, "I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband--how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. | 11Boaz answered her, "It has been clearly disclosed to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband—how you abandoned your father, your mother, and your own land, and came to a people you did not previously know. |
| 12May the LORD reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the LORD God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!" | 12May the LORD repay you for your work, and may a full reward be given you from the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." |
| 13She said, "You really are being kind to me, sir, for you have reassured and encouraged me, your servant, even though I am not one of your servants!" | 13She responded, "May I continue to find favor in your sight, sir, since you've been comforting me and you have spoken graciously to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants." |
| 14Later during the mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here and have some food! Dip your bread in the vinegar!" So she sat down beside the harvesters. Then he handed her some roasted grain. She ate until she was full and saved the rest. | 14At lunchtime, Boaz invited her, "Come on over, have some food, and dip your bread in our oil and vinegar." So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he handed her some roasted grain, which she ate until she was satisfied. She kept what was left over. |
| 15When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told his male servants, "Let her gather grain even among the bundles! Don't chase her off! | 15After she had left to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, "Allow her to glean also among the cut sheaves, and don't taunt her. |
| 16Make sure you pull out ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don't tell her not to!" | 16One other thing —drop some handfuls deliberately, leaving them for her so she can gather it. And don't bother her." |
| 17So she gathered grain in the field until evening. When she threshed what she had gathered, it came to about thirty pounds of barley! | 17So Ruth gathered grain out in the field until dusk, and then threshed what she had gathered—about a week's supply of barley. |
| 18She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much grain she had gathered. Then Ruth gave her the roasted grain she had saved from mealtime. | 18She picked up her grain and went back to town. Her mother-in-law noticed how much Ruth had gleaned and had brought back from what was left over from her lunch. |
| 19Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you gather grain today? Where did you work? May the one who took notice of you be rewarded!" So Ruth told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. She said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz." | 19So her mother-in-law quizzed her, "Where did you glean today? Where, precisely, did you work? May the one who took notice of you be blessed." So Ruth told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. She said, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz." |
| 20Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be rewarded by the LORD because he has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!" Then Naomi said to her, "This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian." | 20Naomi replied, "May the one who hasn't abandoned his gracious love to the living or to the dead be blessed by the LORD." Naomi added, "This man is closely related to us, our related redeemer, as a matter of fact!" |
| 21Ruth the Moabite replied, "He even told me, 'You may go along beside my servants until they have finished gathering all my harvest!'" | 21Then Ruth the Moabite woman added, "He also told me 'Stay close to my young men until they have completed my entire harvest.'" |
| 22Naomi then said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It is good, my daughter, that you should go out to work with his female servants. That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field." | 22Naomi responded to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It is prudent, my daughter, for you to go out with his women servants, so someone won't attack you in another field." |
| 23So Ruth worked beside Boaz's female servants, gathering grain until the end of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest. After that she stayed home with her mother-in-law. | 23So Ruth continued to stay close to the young women who worked for Boaz, gathering grain until both the barley and wheat harvests were complete, all the while living with her mother-in-law. |
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