Study Desk

Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin in marriage."

and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards, and each of you shall seize his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one departed from there to his inheritance.

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to reside in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. So they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, because she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them food.

Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"

When she got up to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her.

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living and from the dead." Again Naomi said to her, "The man is our relative; he is one of our redeemers."

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, so that others do not assault you in another field."

"And it shall be when he lies down, that you shall take notice of the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you should do."

When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.

And it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.

So she lay at his feet until morning, and got up before one person could recognize another; and he said, "Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor."

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance."

Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the way of confirmation in Israel.

So the redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal.

"Furthermore, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be eliminated from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today."

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he had relations with her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.