Study Desk

Soon Boaz came from Bethlehem and greeted his workers, "The Lord be with you!" And the workers answered, "May the Lord bless you!"

Then Boaz asked his servant in charge of the workers, "Whose girl is that?"

When Ruth rose and went back to work, Boaz commanded his workers, "Let her gather even around the piles of cut grain. Don't tell her to go away.

But Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It is better for you to continue working with his women workers. If you work in another field, someone might hurt you."

Wash yourself, put on perfume, change your clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But don't let him know you're there until he has finished his dinner.

Watch him so you will know where he lies down to sleep. When he lies down, go and lift the cover off his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you should do."

After his evening meal, Boaz felt good and went to sleep lying beside the pile of grain. Ruth went to him quietly and lifted the cover from his feet and lay down.

About midnight Boaz was startled and rolled over. There was a woman lying near his feet!

So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning but got up while it was still too dark to recognize anyone. Boaz thought, "People in town must not know that the woman came here to the threshing floor."

Long ago in Israel when people traded or bought back something, one person took off his sandal and gave it to the other person. This was the proof of ownership in Israel.

So the close relative said to Boaz, "Buy the land yourself," and he took off his sandal.

I am also taking Ruth, the Moabite who was the wife of Mahlon, as my wife. I am doing this so her dead husband's property will stay in his name and his name will not be separated from his family and his hometown. You are witnesses today."

As Tamar gave birth to Judah's son Perez, may the Lord give you many children through Ruth. May your family be great like his."

So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife and had sexual relations with her. The Lord let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.

The neighbors gave the boy his name, saying, "This boy was born for Naomi." They named him Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.

Every year Elkanah left his town of Ramah and went up to Shiloh to worship the Lord All-Powerful and to offer sacrifices to him. Shiloh was where Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, served as priests of the Lord .

When Elkanah offered sacrifices, he always gave a share of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to her sons and daughters.

She made a promise, saying, " Lord All-Powerful, see how sad I am. Remember me and don't forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life, and no one will ever cut his hair with a razor."

Early the next morning Elkanah's family got up and worshiped the Lord . Then they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had sexual relations with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.

So Hannah became pregnant, and in time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "His name is Samuel because I asked the Lord for him."