Bible (Bishops')/Ruth

Chapter 1
It came to passe that whe the iudges ruled, there fel a dearth in the land, & a certein man of Bethlehe Iuda went for to soiourne in the countrey of Moab, he and his wyfe, and his two sonnes.

The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wyfe Naomi, and the names of his two sonnes were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephraites out of Bethlehem Iuda: And whe they came into the lande of Moab, they continued there.

And Elimelech Naomies husbande died, and she remayned with her two sonnes.

Whiche toke them wyues, Moabitesses, of the Moabites: the ones name was Orpha, and the others Ruth: And they dwelled there about a ten yeres.

And Mahlon & Chilion died also euen both of them, and the woman was left destitute of her two sonnes and of her husband.

Then she arose with her daughters in lawe, and returned from the countrey of Moab: for she had hearde say in the countrey of Moab, howe that the Lorde had visited his people, and geuen them bread.

Wherfore she departed out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in lawe with her: And they went on their way to returne vnto the lande of Iuda.

And Naomi said vnto her two daughters in lawe, Go & returne eche of you vnto your mothers house: & the Lorde deale as kindly with you, as ye haue dealt with the dead, and with me:

And the Lord geue you, that you may fynde rest, either of you in the house of her husbande. And when she kyssed them, they lift vp their voyce and wept,

And sayde vnto her: Surely we will returne with thee vnto thy folke.

And Naomi sayde, Turne againe my daughters: for what cause will you go with me? Are there any moe children in my wombe, to be your husbandes?

Turne againe my daughters, go your way, for I am to olde to haue an husbande: And if I sayd, I haue hope, if I toke a man also this night, yea & though I had alredy borne sonnes:

Would ye tary after them, till they were of age? or woulde ye for them so long refrayne from taking of husbandes? Not so my daughters: for it greeueth me muche for your sakes, that the hand of the Lorde is gone out against me.

And they lift vp their voyces, & wept againe: and Orpha kissed her mother in lawe, but Ruth abode still by her.

And Naomi said: See, thy sister in law is gone backe againe vnto her people, & vnto her gods: returne thou after her.

And Ruth aunswered: Entreat me not to leaue thee, and to returne from after thee: for whyther thou goest, I will go also, & where thou dwellest, there I wil dwell: Thy people shalbe my people, and thy god my god:

Where thou diest, there will I die, and there wyl I be buried: The Lord do so to me and more also, if ought but death depart thee and me.

When she sawe that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left speaking vnto her.

And so they wet both, vntil they came to Bethlehe: And whe they were come to Bethlehem, it was noysed of them thorow all the citie, and they sayde: Is not this Naomi?

And she annswered them: Cal me not Naomi: but call me Mara, for the almightie hath made me verie bitter.

I went out full, and the Lorde hath brought me home agayne emptie: Why then call ye me Naomi, seying, the Lord hath humbled me, & the almightie hath brought me vnto aduersite?

And so Naomi with Ruth the Moabitesse her daughter in lawe, returned out of the countrey of Moab, and came to Bethlehe, in the beginning of barlie haruest.

Chapter 2
And Naomies husbad had a kinsman, a ma of power and wealth [which was] of the kinred of Elimelech, named Booz.

And Ruth the Moabitesse sayd vnto Naomi: Let me nowe go to the fielde, & gather eares of corne after any man in whose sight I finde grace. And she sayde vnto her: Go my daughter.

And she went, and came to the fielde, and gathered after the reapers: and so it was, that the same fielde parteyned vnto Booz, whiche was of the kinred of Elimelech.

And beholde, Booz came from Bethlehem, and sayde vnto the reapers: The Lorde be with you. And they aunswered him: The Lorde blesse thee.

Then sayde Booz vnto his young man that stode by the reapers? Whose damosel is this?

And the young man that stode by the reapers aunswered, and sayd: It is the Moabitishe damosel, that came with Naomi out of the countrey of Moab,

And she sayde vnto vs, I pray you let me gleane and gather after the reapers, amongst the sheaues: and so she came, and hath continued euen from the morning vnto nowe, saue that she taried a litle in the house.

Then sayd Booz vnto Ruth: Hearest thou my daughter? Go to no other fielde to gather, neither go from hence, but abyde here by my maydens.

Let thyne eyes be on the fielde that they do reape, & go thou after the [maydens:] Haue I not charged the young men, that they shall do thee no hurte? Moreouer, when thou art a thyrst, go vnto the vessels, & drinke of that which the laddes haue drawen.

Then she fell on her face, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and sayde vnto him: Howe is it that I haue founde grace in thyne eyes, & that thou shouldest knowe me, seing I am an aliaunt?

And Booz aunswered and sayde vnto her: Al is tolde & shewed me that thou hast done vnto thy mother in law sence the death of thyne husband: howe thou hast left thy father and thy mother and the land where thou wast borne, and art come vnto a people which thou knewest not in time passed.

The Lord quyte thy worke, and a full reward be geuen thee of the Lord God of Israel, vnder whose winges thou art come to trust.

Then she sayde: Let me finde fauour in thy sight my lord, thou that hast comforted me, and spoken comfortably vnto thy mayde, whiche yet am not lyke vnto one of thy maydens.

Booz sayde vnto her agayne: At the meale tyme come thou hyther, and eate of the bread, and dyp thy morsel in the vineger. And she sat besyde the reapers: and he reached her parched corne, & she dyd eate, and was suffised, & left part:

And when she was rysen vp to gather, Booz comaunded his young men, saying: Let her gather euen among the sheaues, and rebuke her not.

And leaue her some of the sheaues for the nonce, and let it lye, that she may gather it vp, and rebuke her not.

And so she gathered in the fielde vntil euen, and threshed that she had gathered, and it was in measure vpon an Epha of barlye.

And she toke it vp, and went into the citie: and when her mother in lawe had seene what she had gathered, she plucked out also, & gaue to her that she had reserued when she had eaten enough.

And her mother in lawe sayde vnto her: Where hast thou gathered to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that knewe thee. And she shewed her mother in lawe howe she had wrought with him, and sayde: The mans name with whom I wrought to day is Booz.

And Naomi said vnto her daughter inlawe: Blessed be he of the Lord, for he ceasseth not to do good to the lyuing & to the dead. And Naomi sayd agayne vnto her: The man is nye vnto vs, and of our affinitie.

And Ruth the Moabitesse sayd: he sayd vnto me also, Thou shalt be with my young men, vntil they haue ended al my haruest.

And Naomi aunswered vnto Ruth her daughter in lawe: It is best my daughter that thou go out with his maydens, that they come not against thee in any other fielde.

And so she kept her by the maydens of Booz, to gather, vnto the ende of barlye haruest and of wheate haruest also, & dwelt with her mother in lawe.

Chapter 3
Then Naomi her mother in lawe sayde vnto her: My daughter, shal I not seke rest for thee, yt thou mayest prosper?

And is not Booz our kinsman, with whose maydens thou wast? Beholde, he winnoweth barlie to night in the thresshing floore.

Wasshe thy selfe therfore, and annoynt thee, and put thy rayment vpon thee, & get thee downe to the floore: but let not the man knoweof thee, vntill he haue left eating and drincking.

And when he goeth to sleepe, marke the place where he layeth him downe, and then go and lyft vp the clothes that are on his feete, & lay thee downe there: and he shall tel thee what thou shalt do.

And she aunswered her: All that thou biddest me, I will do.

And she went downe vnto the floore, and dyd according to al that her mother in lawe bad her.

And when Booz had eaten and drunken, & cheared his heart, he went to lye downe at the ende of the heape of corne: and she came softly, and lift vp the clothes of his feete, and layed her downe.

And at midnight, the man was afraide, and caught holde: and beholde, a woman lay at his feete.

And he sayde: What art thou? She aunswered, I am Ruth thyne handmayde: Spreade the wing of thy [garment] ouer thyne handmayde, for thou art the kinsman.

He sayde: Blessed be thou in the Lord my daughter, for thou hast shewed more goodnesse in the latter ende, then at the beginning, inasmuche as thou folowedst not young men, whether they were poore or riche.

And nowe my daughter feare not, I will do to the all that thou requirest: for all the citie of my people doth know, that thou art a woman of vertue.

And it is true that I am of thy next kinne, howbeit there is one nier then I.

Tary this night, and when morning is come, if he wil perfourme the part of a kinsman vnto thee, it is good, let him do the kinsmans part: but if he wyl not do the kinsmans part, then wyl I do the duetie of a kinsman, as the Lorde liueth: sleepe vntil the morning.

And she lay at his feete vntill the morning: and she arose vp before one coulde knowe another. And he sayde: Let no man knowe that there came any woman into the floore.

And he sayde againe: Bring the mantel that thou hast vpon thee, & holde it. And when she held it, he mette in sixe measures of barlye, and layde it on her: And she gat her into the citie.

And when she came in, to her mother in lawe, she sayde: Who art thou, my daughter? And she tolde her all that the man had done to her,

And sayde: These sixe measures of barlye gaue he me, and sayde: Thou shalt not come emptie vnto thy mother in lawe.

Then sayde she: My daughter, sit still vntil thou knowe howe the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, vntill he haue finished the thing this same day.

Chapter 4
Then went Booz vp to the gate, and sat him downe there: and beholde, the kinsman of which Booz spake, came by, vnto whom, he sayde: Ho, suche one, come, sit downe here. And he turned, & sat downe.

And he toke ten men of the elders of the citie, and said: sit ye downe here. And they sat downe.

And he sayd vnto the kinsman: Naomi that is come agayne out of the countrey of Moab, will sel a parcell of lande, which was our brother Elimelechs.

And I thought to do thee to wyt, and byd the bye it before thee inhabitauntes and elders of my people. If thou wilt redeeme it, redeeme it: but & if thou wilt not redeeme it, then tell me, that I may knowe: For there is none to redeeme it, saue thou, and I next thee. And the other aunswered: I will redeeme it.

Then sayd Booz: What day thou biest the fielde of the hande of Naomi, thou must bye it also of Ruth the Moabite the wyfe of the dead, to stirre vp the name of the dead vpon his inheritaunce.

The kinsman aunswered: I can not redeeme it, for marring of myne owne inheritaunce: redeeme thou my right to thee, for I cannot redeeme it.

Nowe this was the maner of olde time in Israel concerning redeeming & chaunging, for to stablishe al thing: that a man must plucke of his shoe, & geue it his neyghbour: And this was a sure witnesse in Israel.

Therfore the kinsman sayde to Booz, Bye it thou: and so drue of his shoe.

And Booz sayde vnto the elders and vnto all the people: Ye are witnesses this day, that I haue bought all that was Elimelechs, and all that was Chilions, and Mahalons, of the hande of Naomi.

And moreouer, Ruth the Moabite the wyfe of Mahalo, haue I purchased to be my wyfe, to stirre vp the name of the dead vpon his inheritaunce, & that the name of the dead be not put out fro among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, sayde, We are witnesses: The Lord make the woma that is come into thyne house, lyke Rahel and Lea, whiche twayne dyd buylde the house of Israel: & that thou mayest do worthyly in Ephrata, and be famous in Bethlehem.

Thy house be like the house of Pharez (whom Thamar bare vnto Iuda) eue of the seede whiche the Lord shall geue thee of this young woman.

And so Booz toke Ruth, and she was his wyfe: And when he went in vnto her, the Lorde gaue, that she conceaued and bare a sonne.

And the women sayde vnto Naomi: Blessed be the Lorde, the whiche hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, and his name shalbe continued in Israel.

And that shall bring thy lyfe agayne, and cherishe thyne olde age: For thy daughter in lawe whiche loueth thee, hath borne vnto him, and she is better to thee then seuen sonnes.

And Naomi toke the child, & layed it in her lappe, and became nurse vnto it.

And the women her neyghbours gaue it a name, saying: There is a child borne to Naomi, & called it Obed: the same is the father of Isai, the father of Dauid.

These are the generations of Pharez, Phares begat Hezron,

Hezron begat Ram, Ram begat Aminadab,

Aminadab begat Naasson, Naasson begat Salmon,

Salmon begat Booz, Booz begat Obed,

Obed begat Isai, Isai begat Dauid.