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CHAPTER 3
1 And after that Ruth had turned (again) to her mother-in-law, she heard of her, My daughter, I shall seek rest to thee, and I shall purvey that it be well to thee. (And sometime later, when Ruth had returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi said to her, My daughter, I shall seek rest for thee, and I shall purvey that it be well with thee.)
2 This Boaz, to whose damsels thou were joined (to) in the field, is our kinsman, and in this night he winnoweth the cornfloor of barley (or and tonight he thresheth barley at his threshing floor).
3 Therefore be thou washed, and anointed, and be thou clothed with more honest clothes, and go thou down into the cornfloor; the man see not thee, till he have ended to eat and to drink. (And so be thou washed, and anointed, and be thou clothed with more honourable, or your best, clothes, and then go thou down to the threshing floor; but do not let the man see thee until he hath finished eating and drinking.)
4 Forsooth when he goeth to sleep, mark thou the place in which he sleepeth; and thou shalt come, and uncover the cloth (or the cloak), with which he is covered, from the part of the feet, and thou shalt cast thee down, and thou shalt lie there. Forsooth he shall say to thee, what thou oughtest to do.
5 And Ruth answered, Whatever thing thou commandest to me, I shall do.
6 And she went down into the cornfloor (or And she went down to the threshing floor), and did all things which her mother-in-law commanded to her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and (had) drunk, and was made more glad, and had gone to sleep beside the mound of sheaves, Ruth came, and hid herself; and when the cloth was uncovered from his feet, she casted down herself, (or and she turned back the cloak over his feet, and lay herself down).
8 And lo! now at midnight, the man dreaded, and was troubled, (or And behold! at midnight, the man was startled, or was afraid, and he woke up from his sleep); and he saw a woman lying at his feet;
9 and he said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid; stretch forth thy cloth on thy servantess, for thou art nigh of kin. (and he said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am Ruth, thy servantess; stretch forth thy cloak over thy servantess, for thou art my next of kin.)
10 And he said, Daughter, thou art blessed of the Lord, and thou hast overcome the former mercy with the latter (or and now thou hast surpassed thy earlier proof of family devotion, or loyalty, with this one); for thou followedest not young men, poor either rich.
11 Therefore, do not thou dread, but whatever thing thou shalt say to me, I shall do to thee; for all the people that dwelleth within the gates of my city know, that thou art a woman of virtue. (And so, do not thou fear, but whatever that thou shalt ask of me, I shall do for thee; for all the people who liveth within the gates of my city know, that thou art a woman of virtue.)
12 And I forsake not, that I am of nigh kin, but another man is nearer kin than I; (And I do not deny, that I am your close kin, but another man is a closer kin than I;)
13 (so) rest thou here this night, and when the morrowtide is made, if the man will hold thee to wife by right of nigh kin (or if the man will make thee his wife by right of next of kin), (then) the thing is well done; and if he will not, (then) I shall take thee without any doubt, (as) the Lord liveth; (so) sleep thou till the morrowtide.
14 Therefore she slept at his feet till to the going away of [the] night, and then she rose (up), before that men should know each other. And Boaz said to her, Be thou ware lest any man know, that thou camest hither.
15 And again he said, Stretch forth thy mantle with which thou art covered, and hold thou with ever either hand. And while she stretched forth and held, he meted six measures of barley, and putted on her; and she bare, and entered into the city, (And then he said, Stretch forth thy mantle with which thou art covered, and hold thou it with both hands. And while she stretched it forth and held it, he measured, or counted, out six measures of barley, and put it on her mantle; and she carried it, and went into the city,)
16 and came to her mother-in-law. Which said to Ruth, What hast thou done, daughter? And Ruth told to her all things, which the man had done to her. (and came home to her mother-in-law. And Naomi said to Ruth, What happened, my daughter? And Ruth told her all the things, that the man had done for her.)
17 And Ruth said, Lo! he gave to me six measures of barley; and he said, I will not that thou turn again void to thy mother-in-law. (And Ruth added, Behold! he gave me six measures of barley; for he said, I will not have it that thou return empty-handed to thy mother-in-law.)
18 And Naomi said, Abide, daughter, till we see what issue the thing shall have, (or And Naomi said, Just wait, or Have patience, daughter, until we see what shall happen); for the man shall not cease, no but he [ful] fill those things which he spake.

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© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble