Ruth

At midnight the man started and turned over - there was a woman lying 8 at his feet. “Who are you?” he said, and she answered, “I am your servant 9 Ruth - spread your mantle over your maidservant, for you are a redeemer.” And he replied, 10 “God bless you, daughter, for this last kindness is yet greater than your first, for you have not gone after the young men, poor or rich. Now, daughter, do not be 11 afraid. I shall do all that you ask, for all within my people’s gate know well, that you are a woman of great strength. And I am indeed a redeemer to you, but 12 there isa redeemer still closer than me. Carry on lying here tonight, and in the .13 morning if he would redeem you, good: let him redeem. And if he cares not to redeem you, I shall redeem you myself, as the Lor» lives - lie on here until morning.’ Andso she lay at his feet until morning, and left before one man could recognize 14 another. “Let not a soul know there was a woman in the shed,” said he. And 18 then, “Give me the wrap that you are wearing, hold it out -” and he measured sixmeasures of barley into it; he gave them to her, and she went out into the city. She came to her mother-in-law; “Who are you, my daughter?” she said. And 16 Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. “He gave me these six mea- 17 sures of barley,” she said, “saying, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.” Said Naomi, “Sit down now, daughter, until you find out how 18 the matter will fall. For that man will not rest today until it is settled.” Boaz went up to the City Gate and sat down. And the very redeemer of whom 41 he had spoken passed by: “Such-and-such,” said Boaz, “come here and be 2 seated,” and he came and sat down. Then Boaz took ten men from among the 3 elders of the city; “Be seated here,” he said, and they too sat. And then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, coming back from the land of Moab, must sell the 4 field-plot of our kinsman Elimelekh. And I told her I would let you know of it, inviting you to buy it, in front of those sitting here, in front of the elders of this city. If you would like to redeem this: redeem; and if you will not redeem it, tell me: let me know, for there is none but you to redeem, and 1 am next in line to you.” “I shall redeem,” he said. 5 “On the day you buy that field from Naomi,” said Boaz, “and from Ruth the Moabitess — you will have bought the wife of a dead man with it, to restore the dead man’s name on his estate.” 6 Said the redeemer: “Such a redemption I could not perform; it would be the ruin of my own estate. You redeem in my place, I cannot redeem.” 7 In those long-ago days in Israel, a redemption or exchange - anything to be officially enacted — was completed as follows. One man would take off his