3 1 Naomi giveth Ruth counsel. 8 She sleepeth at Boaz’s feet. 12 He acknowledgeth himself to be her kinsman.

¹ Afterward Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall not I seek ^[a]rest for thee, that thou mayest prosper?

² Now also is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the ^[b]floor.

³ Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: let not the ^[c]man know of thee, until he have left eating and drinking.

⁴ And when he shall sleep, mark the place where he layeth him down, and go, and uncover the place of his feet, and lay thee down, and he shall tell thee what thou shalt do.

⁵ And she answered her, All that thou biddest me, I will do.

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

⁷ And when Boaz had eaten and drunken, and ^[d]cheered his heart, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn, and she came softly, and uncovered the place of his feet, and lay down.

⁸ And at midnight the man was afraid ^[e]and caught hold: and lo, a woman lay at his feet.

⁹ Then he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore the wing of thy garment over thine handmaid: for thou art the kinsman.

¹⁰ Then he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: thou hast ^[f]showed more goodness in the latter end, than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, were they poor or rich.

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

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

¹³ Tarry tonight, and when morning is come, if he ^[g]will do the duty of a kinsman unto thee, well, let him do the kinsman’s duty: but if he will not do the kinsman’s part, then will I do the duty of a kinsman, as the Lord liveth: sleep until the morning.

¹⁴ ¶ And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she arose before one could know another: for he said, Let no man know, that a woman came into the floor.

¹⁵ Also he said, Bring the ^[h]sheet that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid them on her, and she went into the city.

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

¹⁷ And said, These six measures of barley gave he me: for he said to me, Thou shalt not come empty unto thy mother-in-law.

¹⁸ Then said she, My daughter, sit still, until thou know how the thing will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he hath finished the matter this same day.