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Naomi had a plan to get a husband for Ruth
1 One day, Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, I want you to have a good life and a safe place to live after I die. And so I am going to find the right man for you to marry. 2 You have been picking up the barley grass behind the women that work for Boaz, and he is our close relation. Boaz and his workers have finished getting all the grass from his paddocks. And they have put the grass in the place where people hit the grass with a stick to make the barley seeds fall off. Tonight Boaz and his workers will throw all the seeds into the air so that the wind will blow the rubbish away and the seeds will fall to the ground.
3-4 This is my idea. I want you to have a wash, put on your best clothes, and some perfume or some nice smelling oil. Then go down to where Boaz is working, but do not let him see you. Wait until he has finished his supper and watch where he lies down to sleep. That way you can find him in the dark. And when he is really asleep, go and take the blanket off his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
5 Ruth answered, “I will do everything you have said.”
6 Later, Ruth washed herself, changed her clothes and put on some nice smelling oil. She went down to where Boaz was working and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. 7 Boaz finished his supper and after he had something to drink, he was happy and tired. He lay down next to a heap of seeds and went to sleep. Ruth waited until Boaz was really asleep, then she walked quietly over to where he was lying down. She moved the blanket off his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night, something made Boaz wake up and he got a big shock when he found a woman lying next to his feet. 9 He said, “Who are you?”
Ruth said to him, “My master, it's me, Ruth. You are a close relation and you have to look after me. That is why I took the blanket off your feet and lay down. I am asking you to look after me and to marry me.”
10 Boaz said, “I want the Lord to be good to you, Ruth. You are being very kind to me and showing our family great respect. You have been very kind to Naomi and her family. And now you are showing more kindness, you are being kind to me. You might have looked for a much younger man to marry. He might have had a lot of money or he might have had nothing, but you did not look for a younger man. You have asked me. 11 Don't be frightened Ruth, everyone in our community knows that you are a good woman and so I will do what you have asked me. I will help you. 12 Yes, it is true that I am a close relation and it is my job to look after you, but there is another man that is a closer relation than me. He is the one who has to look after you and marry you. 13 But stay there and sleep at my feet. In the morning I will find out if that man will follow our culture and look after you. If he wants to look after you and marry you, that is alright. But if he does not want to marry you, then I will do the right thing and I will marry you. I am making this promise to you and the Lord is my witness. Lie down there until morning.”
14 Ruth lay down at Boaz's feet all night and in the morning she got ready to leave before the sun got up. She did this so that no-one would see her. Boaz said to himself, “No-one must know that a woman came to this work place at night.” 15 And so he said to Ruth, “Bring your coat here and I will put some seeds into it.”
So Ruth held out her coat and Boaz put a lot of barley seeds into it. He tied the coat up and put it on her back and then she went home.
16 When Ruth got home, her mother-in-law said, “What happened Ruth?”
So Ruth told Naomi everything that had happened. Ruth said, “I did everything you said, but Boaz told me that there is a closer relation who should look after me and marry me. And then Boaz promised me that he would talk to that man. He said, ‘If the other man does not want to marry you, I will marry you.’ 17 Boaz gave me these barley seeds. He said, ‘You must take a present home for your mother-in-law.’ ”
18 Then Naomi said, “We must wait and see what happens. Boaz will not stop until he has made everything right. He will talk to that man and see if he will marry you.”