Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field
1Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.
2And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
4Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”
“The Lord bless you!” they answered.
5Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”
6The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”
10At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”
11Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
13“May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”
14At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”
When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
17So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.2:17 That is, probably about 30 pounds or about 13 kilograms 18She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.
19Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”
Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20“The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.2:20 The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55).”
21Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’ ”
22Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”
23So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Rutu pàdé Boasi
1Naomi ní ìbátan kan láti ìdílé Elimeleki ọkọ rẹ̀, aláàánú ọlọ́rọ̀, ẹni tí orúkọ rẹ̀ ń jẹ́ Boasi.
2Rutu ará Moabu sì wí fún Naomi pé, “Jẹ́ kí èmi kí ó lọ sí inú oko láti ṣá ọkà tí àwọn olùkórè fi sílẹ̀ ní ọ̀dọ̀ ẹnikẹ́ni tí èmi yóò bá ojúrere rẹ̀ pàdé.”
Naomi sì sọ fún un pé, “Máa lọ, ọmọbìnrin mi.” 3Rutu sì jáde lọ láti ṣá ọkà tí àwọn olùkórè fi sílẹ̀ lẹ́yìn wọn. Ó wá jẹ́ wí pé inú oko Boasi tí ó ti ìdílé Elimeleki wá ni ó lọ láìmọ̀-ọ́n-mọ̀.
4Nígbà náà ni Boasi dé láti Bẹtilẹhẹmu tí ó sì kí àwọn olùkórè wí pé, “Kí Olúwa wà pẹ̀lú yín.”
Wọ́n sì dá a lóhùn pé, “Kí Olúwa bùkún fún ọ.”
5Boasi sì béèrè lọ́wọ́ olórí àwọn olùkórè wí pé, “Ti ta ni ọ̀dọ́mọbìnrin yẹn?”
6Ìránṣẹ́ tí ó jẹ́ olórí àwọn olùkórè náà sì fèsì pé, “Ọ̀dọ́mọbìnrin ará Moabu tí ó tẹ̀lé Naomi wá láti ilẹ̀ Moabu ni. 7Ó sọ wí pé, ‘Kí ń jọ̀wọ́ jẹ́ kí òun máa ṣá ọkà lẹ́yìn àwọn olùkórè.’ Ó sì ti ń ṣe iṣẹ́ kárakára láti òwúrọ̀ títí di ìsinsin yìí nínú oko àyàfi ìgbà tí ó lọ láti sinmi fún ìgbà díẹ̀ lábẹ́ ibojì.”
8Nígbà náà ni Boasi sọ fún Rutu pé, “Gbọ́ ọmọbìnrin mi, má ṣe lọ sí oko mìíràn láti ṣá ọkà, má sì ṣe kúrò ní ibi. Dúró níbí pẹ̀lú àwọn ìránṣẹ́bìnrin mi. 9Wo ibi tí wọ́n ti ń kórè kí o sì máa tẹ̀lé àwọn obìnrin. Mo ti pàṣẹ fún àwọn ọkùnrin kí wọ́n má ṣe fi ọwọ́ kàn ọ́. Nígbàkúgbà tí òǹgbẹ bá sì ń gbẹ ọ́, lọ kí ó sì mu omi nínú àmù èyí tí àwọn ọkùnrin ti pọn omi sí nínú.”
10Rutu wólẹ̀, ó sì wí fún Boasi pé, “Èéṣe tí èmi fi bá ojúrere rẹ pàdé tó báyìí, tí o sì kíyèsi mi, èmi àjèjì àti àlejò?”
11Boasi sì fèsì wí pé, “Èmi ti gbọ́ gbogbo bí o ti ń ṣe sí ìyá ọkọ ọ̀ rẹ láti ìgbà tí ọkọ rẹ ti kú àti bí o ti ṣe fi baba àti ìyá rẹ àti ilẹ̀ rẹ sílẹ̀, tí o sì wá láti gbé láàrín àwọn ènìyàn tí ìwọ kò mọ̀ tẹ́lẹ̀ rí. 12Kí Olúwa kí ó san ẹ̀san ohun tí ìwọ ṣe fún ọ. Kí o sì gba èrè kíkún láti ọ̀dọ̀ Olúwa Ọlọ́run Israẹli, abẹ́ ìyẹ́ ẹni tí ìwọ sá wá fún ààbò.”
13Rutu sì fèsì wí pé, “Kí èmi kí ó máa rí ojúrere láti ọ̀dọ̀ rẹ síwájú sí i olúwa mi. Ìwọ ti tù mí nínú nípa sísọ ọ̀rọ̀ rere sí ìránṣẹ́bìnrin rẹ, bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé èmi kò tó ọ̀kan nínú àwọn ìránṣẹ́bìnrin rẹ.”
14Nígbà tí àkókò oúnjẹ sì tó, Boasi sọ fún Rutu pé, “Wá gba ìwọ̀n àkàrà yìí kí o sì fi run wáìnì kíkan.”
Òun sì jókòó pẹ̀lú àwọn olùkórè, Boasi sì fún un ní ọkà yíyan. Òun sì jẹ́, ó yó, ó sì tún ṣẹ́kù. 15Nígbà tí ó sì dìde láti máa ṣá ọkà, Boasi pàṣẹ fún àwọn òṣìṣẹ́ rẹ̀ wí pé, “Bí ó tilẹ̀ ń ṣà láàrín oko ọkà pàápàá, ẹ má ṣe dí i lọ́wọ́. 16Bí kò ṣe pé kí ẹ mú lára àwọn ìtí sílẹ̀ fún láti ṣá, kí ẹ má sì ṣe ba a wí.”
17Rutu sì ń ṣá ọkà títí ó fi di ìrọ̀lẹ́, nígbà tí ó sì pa ọkà barle tí ó rí ṣà, tí ó sì fẹ́ ẹ tán, èyí tí ó rí sì tó ìwọ̀n garawa kan (lítà méjìlélógún). 18Ó sì gbé e, ó sì lọ sí ìlú, ìyá ọkọ rẹ sì rí ọkà tí ó rí ṣà bi o tí pọ̀ tó, Rutu sì mú oúnjẹ tí ó jẹ kù lẹ́yìn tí ó ti yó tan fún ìyá ọkọ rẹ̀.
19Ìyá ọkọ rẹ̀ sì bi í léèrè wí pé, “Níbo ni ìwọ ti ṣá ọkà lónìí? Àti wí pé oko ta ni ìwọ gbé ṣiṣẹ́? Alábùkún fún ni ọkùnrin náà tí ó bojú wò ọ.”
Rutu sì sọ ọ̀dọ̀ ẹni tí ó ti ṣiṣẹ́ fún ìyá ọkọ rẹ̀ pé, “Ní oko ọkùnrin kan tí orúkọ rẹ̀ ń jẹ́ Boasi ni mo ti ṣiṣẹ́ lónìí.”
20Naomi sì wí fún un pé, “Kí Olúwa, kí ó bùkún fún ọkùnrin náà. Ọlọ́run kò dáwọ́ oore àti àánú ṣíṣe sí àwọn alààyè àti òkú dúró.” Naomi sì sọ síwájú sí i wí pé, “Ìbátan tí ó súnmọ́ wa pẹ́kípẹ́kí ni ọkùnrin náà ń ṣe, ó sì jẹ́ ọ̀kan nínú àwọn tí ó ní ẹ̀tọ́ láti ra ohun ìní ìdílé padà.”
21Rutu, ará Moabu sì wí pé, “Ju gbogbo rẹ̀ lọ, ó sọ fún mi pé, ‘Kí ń máa ṣá ọkà pẹ̀lú àwọn òṣìṣẹ́ òun, títí wọn yóò fi parí ìkórè.’ ”
22Naomi sì sọ fún Rutu, ìyàwó ọmọ rẹ̀ pé, “Ìbá dára bí ó bá le bá àwọn ìránṣẹ́bìnrin rẹ̀ ṣiṣẹ́. Nítorí pé wọ́n le è dà ọ́ láàmú bí o bá lọ sí oko ẹlòmíràn.”
23Rutu sì bá àwọn ìránṣẹ́bìnrin Boasi ṣiṣẹ́ títí tí wọ́n fi parí ìkórè ọkà barle àti ti jéró. Ó sì ń gbé pẹ̀lú ìyá ọkọ rẹ̀.
