2:1 Now Naomi 1 had a relative 2 on her husband’s side of the family named Boaz. He was a wealthy, prominent man from the clan of Elimelech. 3 2:2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go 4 to the fields so I can gather 5 grain behind whoever permits me to do so.” 6 Naomi 7 replied, “You may go, my daughter.” 2:3 So Ruth 8 went and gathered grain in the fields 9 behind the harvesters. Now she just happened to end up 10 in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
2:4 Now at that very moment, 11 Boaz arrived from Bethlehem 12 and greeted 13 the harvesters, “May the Lord be with you!” They replied, 14 “May the Lord bless you!” 2:5 Boaz asked 15 his servant 16 in charge of the harvesters, “To whom does this young woman belong?” 17 2:6 The servant in charge of the harvesters replied, “She’s the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab. 2:7 She asked, 18 ‘May I follow the harvesters and gather 19 grain among the bundles?’ 20 Since she arrived she has been working hard 21 from this morning until now 22 – except for 23 sitting 24 in the resting hut 25 a short time.” 26
2:8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, 27 my dear! 28 Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not 29 go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside 30 my female workers. 31 2:9 Take note of 32 the field where the men 33 are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers. 34 I will tell the men 35 to leave you alone. 36 When you are thirsty, you may go to 37 the water jars 38 and drink some of the water 39 the servants draw.” 40
2:10 Ruth 41 knelt before him with her forehead to the ground 42 and said to him, “Why are you so kind 43 and so attentive to me, 44 even though 45 I am a foreigner?” 46 2:11 Boaz replied to her, 47 “I have been given a full report of 48 all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband – how you left 49 your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. 50