Sunday, October 19, 2008

Ruth

Rut 1
It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Beyth Lechem Yahudah went to have-a-filled-stomach in the country of Moab, he, and his woman, and his two house-continuers. The name of the man was Eliymelek, and the name of his woman Noomiy, and the name of his two house-continuers Mahlon and Kilyon, Ephrathiy of Beyth Lechem Yahudah. They came into the country of Moab, and continued there. Eliymelek, Noomiy’s man, died; and she was left, and her two house-continuers. They took them women of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about ten years. Mahlon and Kilyon both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two house-builders and of her man. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Yahuwah had visited his people in giving them bread. She went forth 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 Yahudah. Noomiy said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her family-binder’s house: Yahuwah deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me. Yahuwah grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her man.
Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept. They said to her, No, but we will return with you to your people.
Noomiy said, Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have house-continuers in my bowels, that they may be your men? Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a man. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a man tonight, and should also produce house-continuers; would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having men? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahuwah has gone out against me.
They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her family-binder-in-law, but Ruth joined with her. She said, Behold, your female-house-protector-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her Mightiest-Yoked-One. Follow your female-house-protector-in-law.
Ruth said, Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your Mightiest-Yoked-One my Mightiest-Yoked-One; where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahuwah do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me.
When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.
So they two went until they came to Beyth Lechem. It happened, when they had come to Beyth Lechem, that all the city was moved about them, and they asked, Is this Noomiy?
She said to them, Don’t call me Noomiy. Call me Mara; for the All-Sufficient-One has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and Yahuwah has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Noomiy, since Yahuwah has testified against me, and the All-Sufficient-One has afflicted me? So Noomiy returned, and Ruth the Moabiy, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beyth Lechem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Rut 2
Noomiy had a kinsman of her man’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Eliymelek, and his name was Boaz. Ruth the Moabiy said to Noomiy, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.
She said to her, Go, my daughter. She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Eliymelek.
Behold, Boaz came from Beyth Lechem, and said to the reapers, Yahuwah be with you.
They answered him, Yahuwah bend-the-knee-to-give-to you.
Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose young lady is this?
The servant who was set over the reapers answered, It is the Moabite lady who came back with Noomiy out of the country of Moab. 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, except that she stayed a little in the house.
Then Boaz said to Ruth, Hearken, my daughter. Don’t go to glean in another field, and don’t go from here, but stay here close to my maidens. Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Haven’t I directed the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from that which the young men have drawn.
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner?
Boaz answered her, It has fully been shown me, all that you have done to your family-binder-in-law since the death of your man; and how you have left your family-strengthener and your family-binder, and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you didn’t know before. May Yahuwah repay your work, and a full reward be given you from Yahuwah, the Mightiest-Yoked-One of Yisrael, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.
Then she said, Let me find favor in your sight, my master, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not as one of your handmaidens.
At meal time Boaz said to her, Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.
She sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it. When she had risen up to glean, Boaz directed his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and don’t reproach her. Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and don’t rebuke her.
So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. She took it up, and went into the city; and her family-binder-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought out and gave to her that which she had left after she was sufficed.
Her family-binder-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? Where have you worked? Given-to-with-bended-knee be he who noticed you.
She showed her family-binder-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz. Noomiy said to her daughter-in-law, Given-to-with-bended-knee be he of Yahuwah, who has not left off his kindness to the filled-stomachs and to the dead. Noomiy said to her, The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.
Ruth the Moabiy said, Yes, he said to me, You shall stay close to my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
Noomiy said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is functional, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not meet you in any other field. So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived with her family-binder-in-law.
Rut 3
Noomiy her family-binder-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Now isn’t Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself, anoint yourself, get dressed, and go down to the threshing floor, but don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. It shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay down; then he will tell you what you shall do.
She said to her, All that you say I will do. She went down to the threshing floor, and did according to all that her family-binder-in-law told her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his inner-guide was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. She came softly, uncovered his feet, and laid her down. It happened at midnight, that the man was startled and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet. He said, Who are you?
She answered, I am Ruth your handmaid. Therefore spread your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.
He said, Given-to-with-bended-knee are you by Yahuwah, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you didn’t follow young men, whether poor or rich. Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman. Now it is true that I am a near kinsman; however there is a kinsman nearer than I. Stay this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform for you the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman for you, then will I do the part of a kinsman for you, as Yahuwah lives. Lie down until the morning.
She lay at his feet until the morning. She rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. He said, Bring the mantle that is on you, and hold it. She held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.
When she came to her family-binder-in-law, she said, How did it go, my daughter?
She told her all that the man had done to her. She said, He gave me these six measures of barley; for he said, Don’t go empty to your family-binder-in-law.
Then she said, Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing this day.
Rut 4
Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. Behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he said, Come over here, friend, and sit down! He turned aside, and sat down. He took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. They sat down. He said to the near kinsman, Noomiy, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which was our male-house-protector Eliymelek’s. I thought to disclose it to you, saying, Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know. For there is no one to redeem it besides you; and I am after you.
He said, I will redeem it.
Then Boaz said, On the day you buy the field from the hand of Noomiy, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabiy, the woman of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.
The near kinsman said, I can’t redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself; for I can’t redeem it.
Now this was the custom in former time in Yisrael concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the way of attestation in Yisrael. So the near kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. He took off his shoe.
Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Eliymelek’s, and all that was Kilyon’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Noomiy. Moreover Ruth the Moabiy, the woman of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my woman, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his male-house-protectors, and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day.
All the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. May Yahuwah make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Yisrael; and treat you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beyth Lechem. Let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar produced for Yahudah, of the seed which Yahuwah shall give you of this young woman.
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his woman; and he went in to her, and Yahuwah gave her conception, and she produced a house-continuer. The women said to Noomiy, Given-to-with-bended-knee be Yahuwah, who has not left you this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Yisrael. He shall be to you a restorer of a breathing-throat, and sustain you in your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven house-continuers, has produced him. Noomiy took the house-builder, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it. The women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, There is a house-continuer produced for Noomiy; and they named him Obed. He is the family-strengthener of Yishay, the family-strengthener of Daviyd.
Now this is the history of the generations of Perez: Perez produced Chetsron, and Chetsron produced Ram, and Ram produced Amminadab, and Amminadab produced Nachshon, and Nachshon produced Salmah, and Salmah produced Boaz, and Boaz produced Obed, and Obed produced Yishay, and Yishay produced Daviyd.

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