From The Work of God's Children
THE BOOK OF RUTH
This Book is called RUTH, from the name of the person whose history is here recorded: who, being a Gentile, became a convert to the true faith, and marrying Boaz, the great-grandfather of King David, was one of those from whom Christ sprung according to the flesh, and an illustrious figure of the Gentile church. It is thought this book was written by the prophet Samuel.
Elimelech of Bethlehem going with his wife Naomi, and two sons, into the land of Moab, died there. His sons marry wives of that country and die without issue. Naomi returned home with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who refused to part with her.
1:1. In the days of the judges, when the judges ruled, there came a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah, went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.
1:2. He was named Elimelech, and his wife Naomi: and his two sons, the one Mahalon, and the other Chelion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Juda. Entering into the country of Moab, they abode there.
1:3. Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died: and she remained with her sons.
1:4. They took wives of the women of Moab, of which one was called Orpha, and the other Ruth. They dwelt there ten years,
1:5. They both died, to wit, Mahalon and Chelion: and the woman was left alone, having lost both her sons and her husband.
1:6. She arose to go from the land of Moab to her own country, with both her daughters-in-law: for she had heard that the Lord had looked upon his people, and had given them food.
1:7. Wherefore she departed from the place of her sojournment, with both her daughters-in-law: and being now on the way to return into the land of Judah,
1:8. She said to them, “Go home to your mothers; may the Lord deal mercifully with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
1:9. May He grant you to find rest in the houses of the husbands whom you shall take.” She kissed them. They raised their voices, and began to weep
1:10. and say, “We will go on with you to your people.”
1:11. But she answered them, “Return, my daughters; why come with me? Have I any more sons in my womb, that you may hope for husbands from me?
1:12. Return again, my daughters, and go your ways: for I am now spent with age, and not fit for wedlock. Although I might conceive this night, and bear children,
1:13. If you would wait until they were grown up, and come to man's estate, you would be old women before you marry. Do not do so, my daughters, I beseech you: for I am grieved the more for your distress, and the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.”
1:14. They raised their voices, and began to weep again: Orpha kissed her mother-in-law, and returned; Ruth stuck close to her mother-in-law.
1:15. Naomi said to her, “Behold your kinswoman has returned to her people and her gods; go with her.”
To her gods, etc. . .Naomi did not mean to persuade Ruth to return to the false gods she had formerly worshipped: but by this manner of speech, insinuated to her, that if she would go with her, she must renounce her false gods and return to the Lord the God of Israel.
1:16. She answered, “Be not against me, to desire that I should leave you and depart: for wherever you shall go, I will go: and where you shall dwell, I also will dwell. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
1:17. The land that shall receive you dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if nothing other than death separate me and you.”
The Lord do so and so, etc. . .A form of swearing usual in the history of the Old Testament, by which the person wished such and such evils to fall upon them, if they did not do what they said.
1:18. Then Naomi seeing that Ruth was steadfastly determined to go with her, would not be against it, nor persuade her any more to return to her friends:
1:19. So they went together, and came to Bethlehem. When they came into the city, the report was quickly spread among all: and the women said, “This is that Naomi.”
1:20. But she said to them, “Call me not Naomi (that is, beautiful,) but call me Mara (that is, bitter), for the Almighty has quite filled me with bitterness.
1:21. I went out full and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why then do you call me Naomi, whom the Lord has humbled, and the Almighty afflicted?”
1:22. So Naomi came with Ruth, the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, from the land of her sojournment: and returned to Bethlehem, during the beginning of the barley harvest.
Ruth gleaned in the field of Boaz, who showed her favor.
2:1. Now her husband Elimelech had a kinsman, a powerful man, and very rich, whose name was Boaz.
2:2. Ruth, the Moabitess, said to her mother-in-law, “Let me go into the field, and glean the ears of corn that escape the hands of the reapers, wherever I shall find grace with a householder, that will be favorable to me.” And she answered her, “Go, my daughter.”
2:3. She went, therefore, and gleaned the ears of corn after the reapers. It happened that the owner of that field was Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
2:4. Behold, he came out of Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered him, “The Lord bless thee.”
2:5. Boaz said to the young man that was set over the reaper, “Whose maid is this?”
2:6. He answered him, “This is the Moabitess, who came with Naomi, from the land of Moab,”
2:7. She desired leave to glean the ears of corn that remain, following the steps of the reapers: and she has been in the field from morning till now, and has not gone home for one moment.
2:8. Boaz said to Ruth, “Hear me, daughter, do not go to glean in any other field, and do not depart from this place: but keep with my maids,
2:9. and follow where they reap. For I have charged my young men, not to molest you: and if you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of the waters whereof the servants drink.”
2:10. She fell on her face, and worshipping upon the ground, said to him, “Whence cometh this to me, that I should find grace before your eyes, and that you should vouchsafe to take notice of me, a woman of another country?”
2:11. He answered her, “All has been told me, what you have done to your mother-in-law after the death of your husband: and how you have left your parents, and the land wherein you were born, and have come to a people which you know not heretofore.
2:12. The Lord render unto you for your work, and may you receive a full reward of the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you have come, and under whose wings you have fled.”
2:13. She said, “I have found grace in your eyes, my lord, who has comforted me, and has spoken to the heart of your handmaid, who am not like to one of your maids.
2:14. Boaz said to her, “At mealtime come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” So she sat at the side of the reapers, and she heaped to herself frumenty, and ate and was filled, and took the leavings.
2:15. She arose from thence, to glean the ears of corn as before. Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “If she would even reap with you, hinder her not:
2:16. and let fall some of your handfuls of purpose, and leave them, that she may gather them without shame, and let no man rebuke her when she gathered them.”
2:17. She gleaned therefore in the field till evening: and beating out with a rod, and threshing what she had gleaned, she found about the measure of an ephah of barley, that is, three bushels:
2:18. Which she took up, and returned into the city, and showed it to her mother-in-law: moreover, she brought out, and gave her of the remains of her meat, wherewith she had been filled.
2:19. Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today, and where have you wrought? Blessed be he that has had pity on you. “ She told her with whom she had wrought: and she told the man's name, that he was called Boaz.
2:20. Naomi answered her, “Blessed be he of the Lord: because the same kindness which he showed to the living, he has kept also to the dead.” Again she said, “The man is our kinsman.”
2:21. Ruth said, “He also charged me, that I should keep close to his reapers, until all the corn should be reaped.”
2:22. Her mother-in-law said to her, “It is better for you, my daughter, to go out to reap with his maids, lest in another man's field some one may resist you.”
2:23. So she kept close to the maids of Boaz: and continued to glean with them, until all the barley and the wheat were laid up in the barns.
Ruth instructed by her mother-in-law lies at Boaz's feet, claiming him for her husband by the law of affinity: she received a good answer, and six measures of barley.
3:1. After she was returned to her mother-in-aw, Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I will seek rest for you, and will provide that it may be well with you.
3:2. This Boaz, with whose maids you were joined in the field, is our near kinsman, and behold this night he winnowed barley in the threshing floor.
3:3. Wash yourself therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your best garments, and go down to the barn floor: but let not the man see you, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
3:4. When he shall go to sleep, mark the place wherein he slept: and you shall go in, and lift up the clothes wherewith he is covered towards his feet, and shall lay yourself down there: and he will tell you what you must do.”
3:5. She answered, “Whatsoever you shall command, I will do.”
3:6. She went down to the barn floor, and did all that her mother-in-law had bid her.
3:7. When Boaz had eaten, and drunk, and was merry, he went to sleep by the heap of sheaves, and she came softly, and uncovering his feet, laid herself down.
3:8. Behold, when it was now midnight the man was afraid, and troubled: and he saw a woman lying at his feet,
3:9. He said to her, “Who are you?” She answered, “I am Ruth, your handmaid: spread your coverlet over your servant, for you are a near kinsman.”
3:10. He said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter, and your latter kindness has surpassed the former: because you have not followed young men either poor or rich.
...your latter kindness, viz. . .to your deceased husband in seeking to keep up his name and family by marrying his relation according to the law, and not following after young men. For Boaz, it seems, was then in years.
3:11. Fear not therefore, but whatsoever you shall say to me I will do to you. For all the people that dwell within the gates of my city, know that you are a virtuous woman.
3:12. Neither do I deny myself to be near of kin, but there is another nearer than I.
3:13. Rest you this night: and when morning is come, if he will take you by the right of kindred, all is well: but if he will not, I will undoubtedly take you, so the Lord lives: sleep until the morning.”
3:14. So she slept at his feet until the night was going off. She arose before men could know one another, and Boaz said, “Beware lest any man know that you came hither.”
3:15. Again he said, “Spread your mantle, wherewith you are covered, and hold it with both hands.” When she spread it and held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it upon her. She carried it, and went into the city,
3:16. and came to her mother-in-law; who said to her, “What have you done, daughter?” She told her all that the man had done to her.
3:17. She said, “Behold he has given me six measures of barley: for he said: I will not have you return empty to your mother-in-law.”
3:18. Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until we see what end the thing will have. For the man will not rest until he has accomplished what he has said.”
Upon the refusal of the nearer kinsman, Boaz marries Ruth, who brings forth Obed, the grandfather of David.
4:1. Then Boaz went up to the gate, and sat there. When he had seen the kinsman going by, of whom he had spoken before, he said to him, calling him by his name: Turn aside for a little while, and sit down here. He turned aside, and sat down.
4:2. Boaz, taking ten men of the ancients of the city, said to them, “Sit ye down here.”
4:3. They sat down, and he spoke to the kinsman, “Naomi, who has returned from the country of Moab will sell a parcel of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
4:4. I would have you understand this, and would tell you before all that sit here, and before the ancients of my people. If you will take possession of it by the right of kindred: buy it, and possess it: but if it please you not, tell me so, that I may know what I have to do. For there is no near kinsman besides you, who are first, and me, who am second.” But he answered, “I will buy the field.”
4:5. Boaz said to him,. “When you shall buy the field at the woman's hand, you must take also Ruth, the Moabitess, who was the wife of the deceased: to raise up the name of your kinsman in his inheritance.”
4:6. He answered, “I yield up my right of next akin: for I must not cut off the posterity of my own family. Do you make use of my privilege, which I profess I do willingly forego?”
4:7. Now this in former times was the manner in Israel between kinsmen, that if at any time one yielded his right to another: that the grant might be sure, the man put off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor; this was a testimony of cession of right in Israel.
4:8. So Boaz said to his kinsman, “Put off your shoe.” And immediately he took it off from his foot.
4:9. He said to the elders, and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and Chelion's, and Mahalon's, of the hand of Naomi:
4:10. and have taken to wife Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahalon, to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance lest his name be cut off, from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.”
4:11. Then all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, answered, We are witnesses: The Lord make this woman who come into your house, like Rachel, and Leah, who built up the house of Israel: that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrata, and may have a famous name in Bethlehem:
Ephrata. . .Another name of Bethlehem.
4:12. and that the house may be, as the house of Phares, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give you of this young woman.”
4:13. Boaz therefore took Ruth, and married her: and went in unto her, and the Lord gave her to conceive, and to bear a son.
4:14. The women said to Naomi:, “Blessed be the Lord, Who has not suffered your family to want a successor: that His name should be preserved in Israel.
4:15. You should have one to comfort your soul, and cherish your old age. For he is born of your daughter-in-law: who loves you: and is much better to you, than if you had seven sons.”
4:16. Naomi taking the child, laid him in her bosom, and she carried him, and was a nurse to him.
4:17. The women, her neighbors, congratulating with her, and saying, "There is a son born to Naomi, his name is called Obed;" he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
4:18. These are the generations of Phares: Phares begot Esron,
4:19. Esron begot Aram, Aram begot Aminadab,
4:20. Aminadab begot Nahasson, Nahasson begot Salmon,
4:21. Salmon begot Boaz, Boaz begot Obed,
4:22. Obed begot Jesse, Jesse begot David.
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