| 2:1 | Now 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.* |
| 2:2 | One 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.” |
| 2:3 | So 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. |
| 2:4 | Now 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!” |
| 2:5 | Boaz asked* his servant* in charge of the harvesters, “To whom does this young woman belong?”* |
| 2:6 | The servant in charge of the harvesters replied, “She’s the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab. |
| 2:7 | She 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.”* |
| 2:8 | So 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.* |
| 2:9 | Take 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.”* |
| 2:10 | Ruth* 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?”* |
| 2:11 | Boaz 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.* |
| 2:12 | May 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!”* |
| 2:13 | She 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!”* |
| 2:14 | Later 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.* |
| 2:15 | When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told* his male servants, “Let her gather grain even among* the bundles! Don’t chase her off!* |
| 2:16 | Make sure you pull out* ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don’t tell her not to!”* |
| 2:17 | So she gathered grain in the field until evening. When she threshed* what she had gathered, it came to about thirty pounds* of barley! |
| 2:18 | She 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.* |
| 2:19 | Her 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.” |
| 2:20 | Naomi 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.”* |
| 2:21 | Ruth the Moabite replied, “He even* told me, ‘You may go along beside my servants* until they have finished gathering all my harvest!’”* |
| 2:22 | Naomi 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.”* |
| 2:23 | So 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.* |
Ruth 2 - NET Bible [draft]
