Study Desk

Then said Bo`az to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose young lady is this?

When she was risen up to glean, Bo`az commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and don't reproach her.

Na`omi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. Na`omi said to her, The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.

Na`omi said to Rut her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not meet you in any other field.

It shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay you down; and he will tell you what you shall do.

When Bo`az had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.

It happened at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

She lay at his feet until the morning. She rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.

Then said Bo`az, What day you buy the field of the hand of Na`omi, you must buy it also of Rut the Mo'avite, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.

Now this was [the custom] in former time in Yisra'el concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the [manner of] attestation in Yisra'el.

So the near kinsman said to Bo`az, Buy it for yourself. He drew off his shoe.

Moreover Rut the Mo'avite, the wife of Machlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place: you are witnesses this day.

So Bo`az took Rut, and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

The women said to Na`omi, Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Yisra'el.

Now there was a certain man of Ramatayim-Tzofim, of the hill-country of Efrayim, and his name was Elkana, the son of Yerocham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tochu, the son of Tzuf, an Efratite:

This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of `Eli, Hofni and Pinechas, Kohanim to the LORD, were there.

When the day came that Elkana sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now `Eli the Kohen was sitting on his seat by the door-post of the temple of the LORD.

She vowed a vow, and said, the LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come on his head.

They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkana knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.