Book of Ruth

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2013, all rights reserved.

Because of the famine, Naomi and husband went with their two sons to the land of Moab.  The two sons found wives in the land of Moab.

But Naomi's husband and sons died.  Ruth was the wife of one of Naomi's sons.  When Naomi heard that the famine was over, she decided to return to her land.  Ruth insisted on going with Naomi.

Back in Naomi's country, Ruth found a husband in Boaz.  Thus, Ruth got herself into the genealogy of King David, and of Jesus, because Boaz and Ruth became the great-grandparents of King David.  (See the genealogy in Matthew chapter 1.)

The Book of Ruth is from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version, copyright 2011.

www.FredHoehnMinistries.com

___Ruth chapter 1

1 Now in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.  And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to temporarily live in the country of Moab, he and his wife, and his two sons.

2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah.  And they went into the country of Moab, and continued there.

3 And Elimelech, Naomi's husband died, and she and her two sons remained.

4 And they took wives from the women of Moab, the name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth, and they lived there about ten years.

5 And Mahlon and Chilion both died also, and the woman was deprived of her two sons and her husband.

6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, so that she could return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab how the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

7 So she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

8 And Naomi said to her two daughters in law, "Go, return each to her mother's house, the Lord deal kindly with you, as you've dealt with the dead, and with me.

9 The Lord grant that you'll find rest, each of you in the house of her husband."  Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10 And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people."

11 And Naomi said, "Turn again, my daughters, why would you go with me?  Are there yet any more sons in my womb, so they can be your husbands?

12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband.  If I should say, 'I have hope,' if I should have a husband also tonight, and also bear sons,

13 Would you wait for them 'til they're grown?  Would you wait for them instead of having other husbands?  No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me."

14 And they lifted up their voice, and cried again, and Orpah kissed her mother in law, but Ruth stuck to her.

15 And she said, "See, your sister in law has gone back to her people, and to her gods, go after your sister in law."

16 And Ruth said, "Don't ask me to leave you or to return from following you, for I’ll go where you go, I’ll lodge where you lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God,

17 Where you die, I'll die, and I'll be buried there, the Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death separates you and me."

18 When she saw that she was steadily minded to go with her, then she stopped trying to persuade her.

19 So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem.  And when they’d come to Bethlehem, all the city was moved regarding them, and they said, "Is this Naomi?"

20 And she said to them, "Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty, why then do you call me Naomi, seeing the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

___Ruth chapter 2

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 to Naomi, "Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace."  And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."

3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to go to a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

4 And see, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you."  And they answered him, "The Lord bless you."

5 Then Boaz said to his servant that was set over the reapers, "Whose damsel is this?"

6 And the servant that was supervisor over the reapers answered, "It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab,

7 And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves,' so she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, so that she tarried a little in the house."

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Don't you hear, my daughter?  Don't go to glean in some other field, and don't go from here, but stay here close by my maidens,

9 Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them, haven't  I commanded the young men that they shall not touch you?  And when you are thirsty, go to the containers, 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 to him, "Why have I found grace in your eyes, so that you would take knowledge of me, since I'm a stranger?"

11 And Boaz answered her, "It has fully been shown to me, all that you've done to your mother in law since the death of your husband, and how you've left your father and your mother, and the land of your nativity, and have come to a people that you didn't know until now.

12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given to you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you've come to trust."

13 Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you've comforted me, and because you've spoken friendly to your handmaid, though I'm not like one of your handmaidens."

14 And Boaz said to her, "At mealtime come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar."  And she sat beside the reapers, and he reached her parched corn, and she ate and was filled, and left.

15 And when she had gotten up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, "Let her glean among the sheaves, and don't reproach her,

16 And also let some of the handfuls fall on purpose for her, and leave them, so she can glean them, and don't rebuke her."

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what 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 out, and gave to her what she had left after she was full.

19 And her mother in law said to her, "Where have you gleaned today?  And where did you work?  Blessed be he that took knowledge of you."  And she showed her mother in law with whom she had worked, and said, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz."

20 And Naomi said to her daughter in law, "The Lord bless him, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead."  And Naomi said to her, "The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen."

21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, "He said to me also, you shall keep close to my young men, until they've ended all my harvest."

22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter in law, "It's good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, so they don't meet you in any other field."

23 So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest, and lived with her mother in law.

___Ruth chapter 3

1 Then Naomi her mother in law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, so that it will be well with you?

2 And now, isn't Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens you were?  See, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.

3 Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put your clothes on, and get down to the floor, but don't make yourself known to the man, until he's finished eating and drinking.

4 And it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall see the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay down, and he will tell you what you shall do."

5 And she said to her, "I'll do all that you've said to me."

6 And she went down to the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law had said.

7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn, and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid down.

8 And it at midnight, the man was afraid, and turned himself, and see, a woman lay at his feet.

9 And he said, "Who are you?"  And she answered, "I am Ruth your handmaid, spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a near kinsman."

10 And he said, "The Lord bless you, my daughter, for you've shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, since you don't follow young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, don't be afraid, I will do to you all that you require, for all the city of my people know that you're a virtuous woman.

12 And now it is true that I am your near kinsman, but there is a kinsman nearer than I am.

13 Wait tonight, and then in the morning, if he'll perform to you the part of a kinsman, well, let him do the kinsman's part, but if he won't do the part of a kinsman to you, then I'll do the part of a kinsman to you, as the Lord lives, lie down 'til the morning."

14 And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one person could identify another.  And he said, "Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor."

15 Also he said, "Bring the veil that you have on you, and hold it."  And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her, and she went into the city.

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

17 And she said, "He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said to me, don't go empty to your mother in law."

18 Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall, for the man won't rest, 'til he has finished the thing this day."

___Ruth chapter 4

1 Then Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there, and see, the kinsman about whom Boaz spoke came along, to whom he said, "Hey, such a one!  Turn aside and sit down here."  And he turned aside and sat down.

2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here."  And they sat down.

3 And he said to the kinsman, "Naomi, that has come back from the country of Moab, is selling a parcel of land, that was our brother Elimelech's,

4 And I thought to tell you, "Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people.  If you'll redeem it, redeem it, but if you won't redeem it, then tell me so that I'll know, for there is no one to redeem it beside you, and I am next after you."  And he said, "I'll redeem it."

5 Then Boaz said, "When you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance."

6 And the kinsman said, "I can't redeem it for myself, so I don't mar my own inheritance, you redeem my right for yourself, 'cause I can't redeem it."

7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm all things, a man pulled off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor, and this was a testimony in Israel.

8 Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself."  So he pulled off his shoe.

9 And Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, "You are witnesses this day, that I've bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi.

10 Also, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I've purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, so that the name of the dead is not cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place, you are witnesses this day."

11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders said, "We are witnesses.  The Lord make the woman that has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel, and do worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem,

12 And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the children that the Lord shall give you from this young woman."

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

14 And the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a kinsman, so that his name will be famous in Israel.

15 And he shall be to you a restorer of your life, and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter in law, that loves, who is better to you than seven sons, has born the son."

16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it.

17 And the women who were her neighbors gave him a name, saying, "There's a son born to Naomi," and they called him Obed, he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Pharez, Pharez fathered Hezron,

19 And Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab,

20 And Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon,

21 And Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed,

22 And Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

___Psalm 91

1 He that dwells in the secret place of the most high shall live under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say about the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, I'll trust in him."

3 Surely he'll deliver you from the trap of the bird catcher, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He'll cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you'll trust, his truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You won't be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day,

6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it won't come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you've made the Lord your habitation, who is my refuge, the most high,

10 No evil shall happen you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

11 For he'll give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

12 They'll support you in their hands, so you don't dash your foot against a stone.

13 You'll tread on the lion and snake, you'll trample the young lion and the dragon under feet.

14 Because he has set his love on me, therefore I'll give him deliverance, I'll set him on high, because he has known my name.

15 He'll call on me, and I'll answer him, I'll be with him in trouble, I'll give him deliverance, and honor him.

16 I'll satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.