Boaz Meets Ruth

1And Naomies husbad had a kinsman, a ma of power and wealth which was of the kinred of Elimelech, named Booz. 2And Ruth the Moabitesse sayd vnto Naomi: Let me nowe go to the fielde, & gather eares of corne after any man in whose sight I finde grace. And she sayde vnto her: Go my daughter. 3And she went, and came to the fielde, and gathered after the reapers: and so it was, that the same fielde parteyned vnto Booz, whiche was of the kinred of Elimelech. 4And beholde, Booz came from Bethlehem, and sayde vnto the reapers: The Lorde be with you. And they aunswered him: The Lorde blesse thee. 5Then sayde Booz vnto his young man that stode by the reapers? Whose damosel is this? 6And the young man that stode by the reapers aunswered, and sayd: It is the Moabitishe damosel, that came with Naomi out of the countrey of Moab, 7And she sayde vnto vs, I pray you let me gleane and gather after the reapers, amongst the sheaues: and so she came, and hath continued euen from the morning vnto nowe, saue that she taried a litle in the house.

8Then sayd Booz vnto Ruth: Hearest thou my daughter? Go to no other fielde to gather, neither go from hence, but abyde here by my maydens. 9Let thyne eyes be on the fielde that they do reape, & go thou after the maydens: Haue I not charged the young men, that they shall do thee no hurte? Moreouer, when thou art a thyrst, go vnto the vessels, & drinke of that which the laddes haue drawen. 10Then she fell on her face, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and sayde vnto him: Howe is it that I haue founde grace in thyne eyes, & that thou shouldest knowe me, seing I am an aliaunt? 11And Booz aunswered and sayde vnto her: Al is tolde & shewed me that thou hast done vnto thy mother in law sence the death of thyne husband: howe thou hast left thy father and thy mother and the land where thou wast borne, and art come vnto a people which thou knewest not in time passed. 12The Lord quyte thy worke, and a full reward be geuen thee of the Lord God of Israel, vnder whose winges thou art come to trust. 13Then she sayde: Let me finde fauour in thy sight my lord, thou that hast comforted me, and spoken comfortably vnto thy mayde, whiche yet am not lyke vnto one of thy maydens.

14Booz sayde vnto her agayne: At the meale tyme come thou hyther, and eate of the bread, and dyp thy morsel in the vineger. And she sat besyde the reapers: and he reached her parched corne, & she dyd eate, and was suffised, & left part: 15And when she was rysen vp to gather, Booz comaunded his young men, saying: Let her gather euen among the sheaues, and rebuke her not. 16And leaue her some of the sheaues for the nonce, and let it lye, that she may gather it vp, and rebuke her not.

17And so she gathered in the fielde vntil euen, and threshed that she had gathered, and it was in measure vpon an Epha of barlye. 18And she toke it vp, and went into the citie: and when her mother in lawe had seene what she had gathered, she plucked out also, & gaue to her that she had reserued when she had eaten enough. 19And her mother in lawe sayde vnto her: Where hast thou gathered to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that knewe thee. And she shewed her mother in lawe howe she had wrought with him, and sayde: The mans name with whom I wrought to day is Booz. 20And Naomi said vnto her daughter inlawe: Blessed be he of the Lord, for he ceasseth not to do good to the lyuing & to the dead. And Naomi sayd agayne vnto her: The man is nye vnto vs, and of our affinitie. 21And Ruth the Moabitesse sayd: he sayd vnto me also, Thou shalt be with my young men, vntil they haue ended al my haruest. 22And Naomi aunswered vnto Ruth her daughter in lawe: It is best my daughter that thou go out with his maydens, that they come not against thee in any other fielde. 23And so she kept her by the maydens of Booz, to gather, vnto the ende of barlye haruest and of wheate haruest also, & dwelt with her mother in lawe.