Ruth 3
3
Naomi’s Plan
1Then Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I must find a suitable home for you. That would be good for you. 2Now Boaz is our close relative.# In Bible times the closest relative could marry a widow without children so she could have children. He would care for this family, but they and their property would not belong to him. They would belong to the dead husband. You worked with his women servants. Tonight he will be working at the threshing floor. 3Go wash yourself and put on perfume. Change your clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let him see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4Then he will lie down. Watch him so you will know the place where he lies down. Go there and lift the cover off his feet# This showed Ruth was asking him to be her husband. and lie down. He will tell you what you should do.”
5Then Ruth answered, “I will do everything you say.”
6So Ruth went down to the threshing floor. She did all her mother-in-law told her to do. 7After eating and drinking, Boaz was feeling good. He went to lie down beside the pile of grain. Then Ruth went to him quietly. She lifted the cover from his feet and lay down.
8About midnight Boaz woke up suddenly and rolled over. He was startled! There was a woman lying near his feet! 9Boaz asked, “Who are you?”
She said, “I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me because you are the one who is to take care of me.”
10Then Boaz said, “The Lord bless you, my daughter. Your kindness to me is greater than the kindness you showed to Naomi in the beginning. You didn’t look for a young man to marry, either rich or poor. 11Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do everything you ask. All the people in our town know you are a very good woman. 12And it is true, I am a relative who is to take care of you. But there is a man who is a closer relative to you than I. 13But stay here tonight. In the morning we will see if he will take care of you. If he decides to take care of you, that is fine. If he refuses to take care of you, I myself will marry you. Then I will buy back Elimelech’s land for you. As surely as the Lord lives, I promise to do this. So lie here until morning.”
14So Ruth lay near his feet until the morning. She rose while it was still too dark to be recognized. Boaz said to his servants, “Don’t tell anyone that the woman came here to the threshing floor.” 15Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Bring me your shawl. Now, hold it open.”
So Ruth held her shawl open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it. Boaz then put it on her back, and she went to the city.
16Ruth went to the home of her mother-in-law. And Naomi asked, “How did you do, my daughter?”
So Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz did for her. 17She said, “Boaz gave me these six portions of barley. He said, ‘You must not go home without a gift for your mother-in-law.’”
18Naomi answered, “Ruth, my daughter, wait until you hear what happens. Boaz will not rest until he has finished doing what he should do this day.”
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Ruth 3: ICB
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