1 Noemi tinha um parente por parte do marido. Era um homem rico e influente, pertencia ao clã de Elimeleque e chamava-se Boaz.2 Rute, a moabita, disse a Noemi: "Vou recolher espigas no campo daquele que me permitir". "Vá, minha filha", respondeu-lhe Noemi.3 Então ela foi e começou a recolher espigas atrás dos ceifeiros. Por acaso entrou justamente na parte da plantação que pertencia a Boaz, que era do clã de Elimeleque.4 Naquele exato momento, Boaz chegou de Belém e saudou os ceifeiros: "O Senhor esteja com vocês! " Eles responderam: "O Senhor te abençoe! "5 Boaz perguntou ao capataz dos ceifeiros: "A quem pertence aquela moça? "6 O capataz respondeu: "É uma moabita que voltou de Moabe com Noemi.7 Ela me pediu que a deixasse recolher e juntar espigas entre os feixes, após os ceifeiros. Ela chegou cedo e está de pé até agora. Só sentou-se um pouco no abrigo".8 Disse então Boaz a Rute: "Ouça bem, minha filha, não vá colher noutra lavoura, nem se afaste daqui. Fique com minhas servas.9 Preste atenção onde os homens estão ceifando, e vá atrás das moças que vão colher. Darei ordem aos rapazes para que não toquem em você. Quando tiver sede, beba da água dos potes que os rapazes encheram".10 Ela se inclinou e, prostrada rosto em terra, exclamou: "Por que achei favor a seus olhos, a ponto de o senhor se importar comigo, uma estrangeira? "11 Boaz respondeu: "Contaram-me tudo o que você tem feito por sua sogra, depois que você perdeu o marido: como deixou seu pai, sua mãe e sua terra natal para viver com um povo que pouco conhecia.12 O Senhor lhe retribua o que você tem feito! Que você seja ricamente recompensada pelo Senhor, o Deus de Israel, sob cujas asas você veio buscar refúgio! "13 E disse ela: "Continue eu a ser bem acolhida, meu senhor! O senhor me deu ânimo e encorajou sua serva — e eu sequer sou como uma de suas servas! "14 Na hora da refeição, Boaz lhe disse: "Venha cá! Pegue um pedaço de pão e molhe-o no vinagre". Quando ela se sentou junto aos ceifeiros, Boaz lhe ofereceu grãos tostados. Ela comeu até ficar satisfeita e ainda sobrou.15 Quando ela se levantou para recolher, Boaz deu estas ordens a seus servos: "Mesmo que ela recolha entre os feixes, não a repreendam!16 Pelo contrário, quando estiverem colhendo, tirem para ela algumas espigas dos feixes e deixem-nas cair para que ela as recolha, e não a impeçam".17 E assim Rute colheu na lavoura até o entardecer. Depois debulhou o que tinha ajuntado: quase uma arroba de cevada.18 Carregou-o para o povoado, e sua sogra viu o quanto ela havia recolhido quando Rute trouxe e lhe ofereceu o que havia sobrado da refeição.19 "Onde você colheu hoje? ", a sogra lhe perguntou: "Onde trabalhou? Bendito seja aquele que se importou com você! " Então Rute contou à sogra com quem tinha trabalhado: "O nome do homem com quem trabalhei hoje é Boaz".20 E Noemi exclamou: "Seja ele abençoado pelo Senhor, que não deixa de ser leal e bondoso com os vivos e com os mortos! " E acrescentou: "Aquele homem é nosso parente; é um de nossos resgatadores! "21 Continuou Rute, a moabita: "Pois ele mesmo me disse também: ‘Fique com os meus ceifeiros até que terminem toda a minha colheita’ ".22 E Noemi aconselhou à sua nora Rute: "É melhor mesmo você ir com as servas dele, minha filha. Noutra lavoura poderiam molestá-la".23 Assim Rute ficou com as servas de Boaz para recolher espigas, até acabarem as colheitas de cevada e de trigo. Entretanto, ela ficou morando com a sua sogra.

1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.3 And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And her chance was to land on the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, LORD be with you. And they answered him, LORD bless thee.5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?6 And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabite damsel who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.7 And she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather behind the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she tarried a little in the house.8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, Do thou not hear, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from here, but abide here close by my maidens.9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they reap, and go thou after them. Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor in thy sight that thou should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner?11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully shown me all that thou have done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband, and how thou have left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and have com12 LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou have come to take refuge.13 Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, because thou have comforted me, and because thou have spoken kindly to thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left of it.15 And when she arose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.16 And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and do not rebuke her.17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. And she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.18 And she took it up, and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was satisfied.19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have thou gleaned today? And where have thou worked? Blessed be he who took knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man's name with whom I20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of LORD who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our near kinsmen.21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yes, he said to me, Thou shall keep close by my young men until they have ended all my harvest.22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they not meet thee in any other field.23 So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest. And she dwelt with her mother-in-law.