Study Desk

Her sons married women from the country of Moab. One wife's name was Orpah, and the other wife's name was Ruth. They lived in Moab about ten years;

So again they cried very much. Then Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, but Ruth hugged her and stayed.

But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you! Don't force me to go back to my own people. Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.

Naomi saw that Ruth wanted very much to go with her. So Naomi stopped arguing with her.

Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When the two women entered Bethlehem, all the people were very excited. They said, "Is this Naomi?"

So Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabite, came back from the hill country of Moab. These two women came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

One day Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi, "I think I will go to the fields. Maybe I can find someone who will be kind to me and let me gather the grain they leave in their field." Naomi said, "Fine, daughter, go ahead."

So Ruth went to the fields. She followed the workers who were cutting the grain and gathered the grain that was left. It happened that part of the field belonged to Boaz, the man from Elimelech's family.

Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, child. Stay here in my field to gather grain for yourself. There is no need for you to go to any other field. Continue following behind my women workers.

Then Ruth bowed very low to the ground. She said to Boaz, "I am a foreigner, so I am surprised you even noticed me."

Then Ruth said, "I hope I can continue to please you, sir. You are very kind. I am only a servant and not even one of your own servants. But you have said kind words to me and comforted me."

At mealtime, Boaz told Ruth, "Come and eat some of our bread. Here, dip your bread in our vinegar." So Ruth sat down with the workers. Boaz gave her some roasted grain. Ruth ate until she was full, and there was some food left.

Then Ruth got up and went back to work. Then Boaz told his servants, "Let Ruth gather even around the piles of grain. Don't stop her.

Ruth worked in the fields until evening. Then she separated the grain from the chaff. There was about one-half bushel of barley.

Ruth carried the grain into town to show her mother-in-law what she had gathered. She also gave her the food that was left from lunch.

Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you gather all this grain? Where did you work? Bless the man who noticed you." Then Ruth told her who she had worked with. She said, "The man I worked with today is a man named Boaz."

Then Ruth said, "Boaz also told me to come back and continue working. He said that I should work closely with his servants until the harvest is finished."

Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It is good for you to continue working with his women servants. If you work in another field, some man might hurt you."

So Ruth continued working closely with the women servants of Boaz. She gathered grain until the barley harvest was finished. She also worked there through the end of the wheat harvest. Ruth continued living with her mother-in-law Naomi.

Then Ruth answered, "I will do what you say."