Ruth 3

1And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?

1Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, 'My daughter, shouldn’t I try to find a permanent home for you, so that you will be well taken care of?'

2And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor.

2'Now, isn’t Boaz our relative? You were just working with his female servants. Look, he will be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.'

3Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

3'So wash yourself, put on some perfume, dress in your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.'

4And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.

4'When he lies down, notice the place where he is sleeping. Then go, uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will tell you what you should do next.'

5And she said unto her, All that thou sayest I will do.

5Ruth answered her, 'I will do everything you say.'

6And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.

6So she went down to the threshing floor and did exactly what her mother-in-law had told her to do.

7And when Boaz 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.

7When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was feeling good, he went to lie down at the edge of the pile of grain. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

8In the middle of the night, the man woke up startled and turned over; he was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet.

9And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

9'Who are you?' he asked. She answered, 'I am Ruth, your servant. Spread the corner of your garment over me, because you are a family redeemer.'

10And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.

10He said, 'May the LORD bless you, my daughter. This act of kindness is even greater than the loyalty you showed at first, because you haven’t chased after younger men, whether they were rich or poor.'

11And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman.

11'Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do everything you ask. Everyone in town knows that you are a woman of noble character.'

12And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.

12'It is true that I am a close relative, but there is another relative who is more closely related to you than I am.'

13Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah liveth: lie down until the morning.

13'Stay here for the night. In the morning, if he wants to fulfill his duty as a redeemer to you, that’s fine; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as surely as the LORD lives, I will redeem you myself. Now lie down until morning.'

14And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.

14So she stayed at his feet until morning, but she got up before it was light enough for anyone to recognize her. Boaz had said, 'No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.'

15And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city.

15He also said, 'Bring me the cloak you are wearing and hold it out.' When she did, he poured six measures of barley into it and helped her put it on. Then he went back into the city.

16And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

16When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, 'How did it go, my daughter?' Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her.

17And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law.

17She added, 'He gave me these six measures of barley and said, "Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed."'

18Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

18Naomi said, 'Wait here, my daughter, until you see how this turns out. The man will not rest until he settles the matter today.'