1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3 And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. 5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: 7 and she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.

8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. 10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? 11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. 12 Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. 13 Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken kindly unto thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.

14 And at meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. 16 And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not.

17 So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up, and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was sufficed. 19 And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. 20 And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen. 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field. 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

1 Noêmi tinha um parente, por parte de seu marido, homem poderoso e rico da família de Elimelec, chamado Booz.

2 Rute, a moabita, disse a Noêmi: Peço-te que me deixes ir respigar nos campos de quem me quiser acolher favoravelmente. Vai, minha filha, respondeu-lhe ela.

3 Rute partiu, pois, e entrou num campo, atrás dos segadores. Ora, aconteceu que aquele era justamente o campo de Booz, parente de Elimelec.

4 Booz acabava de voltar de Belém, e disse aos segadores: O Senhor esteja convosco! Deus te abençoe, responderam eles.

5 Booz dirigiu-se ao servo que tomava conta dos segadores: De quem é esta moça?

6 Esta é uma jovem moabita, respondeu ele, que veio com Noêmi da terra de Moab.

7 Pediu-nos que a deixássemos respigar entre os feixes de trigo e apanhar as espigas atrás dos segadores. Está, aí, sempre de pé, desde a manhã até agora. Neste momento ela descansa um pouco sob a tenda.

8 Booz disse a Rute: Ouve, minha filha: não vás respigar em outro campo; não te afastes daqui, mas junta-te com minhas servas.

9 Olha em que campo vão ceifar, e segue-as. Proibi aos meus servos que te molestassem. Se tiveres sede, vai à bilha e bebe da água que eles tiverem buscado.

10 Rute, caindo aos seus pés, prostrou-se por terra: De onde me vem a dita, disse ela, de que te interesses por mim, uma estrangeira?

11 Contaram-me, replicou Booz, tudo o que fizeste por tua sogra depois que morreu o teu marido, como deixaste teu pai, tua mãe e a tua pátria, e vieste para um povo que antes não conhecias.

12 O Senhor te remunere pelo bem que fizeste, e recebas uma plena recompensa do Senhor, Deus de Israel, sob cujas asas te acolheste!

13 Ela respondeu: Encontre eu graça diante dos teus olhos, meu senhor, pois me consolaste e encorajaste a tua serva, ainda que eu não seja como uma de tuas escravas.

14 À hora de comer, Booz disse-lhe: Vem, come tua parte do pão, e molha o teu bocado no vinagre. Ela assentou-se ao lado dos segadores, e Booz ofereceu-lhe grão torrado; ela comeu até ficar satisfeita e guardou o resto. Levantou-se em seguida e recomeçou a respigar.

15 Booz disse aos seus servos: Deixai-a respigar mesmo entre os feixes e não a molesteis.

16 Deixai cair de vossos feixes, como por descuido, algumas espigas, e deixai-as para que ela as apanhe; sobretudo, não a censurais de forma alguma.

17 Rute esteve, pois, respigando no campo até a tarde; tendo depois batido as espigas que tinha colhido, encontrou quase um efá de cevada.

18 Carregando a cevada, entrou na cidade, e sua sogra viu o que ela tinha colhido. Rute tirou então o que lhe sobrou de seu almoço e deu-lho.

19 Onde respigaste hoje?, perguntou-lhe Noêmi; onde trabalhaste? Bendito seja quem te acolheu! Ela contou à sua sogra em que propriedade tinha trabalhado. O homem, disse ela, em cuja terra trabalhei hoje, chama-se Booz.

20 Bendito seja ele do Senhor, respondeu Noêmi, porque mostrou-se misericordioso tanto para com os vivos como para com os mortos. E acrescentou: Esse homem é nosso próximo parente, um dos que têm direito de resgate sobre nós.

21 Ele disse-me também, continuou Rute, a moabita, que ficasse com os seus servos até que se acabasse toda a ceifa.

22 Noêmi respondeu-lhe: É melhor, minha filha que sigas as suas servas, e que não te encontrem noutro campo.

23 Ela ficou, pois, com as servas de Booz, respigando até ao fim da ceifa da cevada e do trigo. E morava com a sua sogra.