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of Jehovah may he be who hath 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 next kinsmen." And 21 Ruth the Moabitess said, "He said to me also, 'Thou must keep near my servants until they have ended all my har

vest.'"

And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It 22 is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they come not upon thee in any other field." So she 23 kept near the maidens of Boaz to glean, to the end of barleyharvest, and of wheat-harvest; but she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

CHAP. III. Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, 1 "My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with 2 whose maidens thou wast? Lo, he winnoweth barley in the threshing-floor, to-night. Wash thyself, therefore, and 3 anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go down to the threshing-floor: make not thyself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. And when 4 he lieth down, thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do." And she said to 5 her, "All that thou sayest to me I will do."

And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did ac- 6 cording to all that her mother-in-law bade her. And when 7 Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was joyful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn; and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and lay down. And at midnight the s man was afraid, and turned himself; and, lo, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, "Who art thou ?” And 9 she answered, "I am Ruth thy handmaid; spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman." And he said, "Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter; 10 thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than in the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I 11 will do for thee all that thou requirest; for all the city of my people knoweth that thou art a virtuous woman. And 12 now, although it is true that I am a near kinsman, yet there is a kinsman nearer than I. Remain this night, and in the 13 morning, if he will perform to thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kismann's part; bpt if he will not do

the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah liveth: lie down until the 14 morning." And she lay at his feet until the morning; and she rose up before a man could know his neighbour. And he said, “Let it not be known that a woman came into the 15 threshing-floor." Also he said, "Bring the veil that is upon thee, and hold it." And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and he placed it upon her; and she 16 went into the city. And when she came to her mother-inlaw, she said, "Who art thou, my daughter?" And she 17 told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, "These six measures of barley gave he to me; for he said to me, Go not empty-handed to thy mother-in-law.'" 18 Then said she, "Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he have finished the matter this day."

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CHAP. IV. Then went Boaz up to the city gate, and sat down there and, lo, the kinsman, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by; to whom he said, "Ho, such-a-one! turn aside, sit down here." And he turned aside, and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, 3 Sit ye down here." And they sat down. And he said to the kinsman, "Naomi, who hath returned from the country of Moab, sold a piece of land, which belonged to our brother 4 Elimelech and I thought fit to make this known to thee, saying, 'Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people.' If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it; but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after 5 thee." And he said, "I will redeem it." Then said Boaz, "When thou buyest the field from the hand of Naomi, thou must buy also Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to 6 raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance." Then the kinsman said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I injure my own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thy7 self; for I cannot redeem it." (Now this was the custom in former time in Israel, in redeeming and in exchanging, to confirm all things: a man pulled off his shoe, and gave it to 8 his neighbour; and this was a testimony in Israel.) Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, "Buy it for thyself," and he 9 pulled off his shoe. And Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, "Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all

that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. Ruth also the Moabitess, 10 the wife of Mahlon, have I bought to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from 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, said, 11 "We are witnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who cometh into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel; and mayest thou get wealth in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem; and may thy house 12 be like the house of Pharez (whom Tamar bare to Judah), of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman." So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife; and 13 when he went in unto her, Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said to Naomi, "Blessed 14 be Jehovah who hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, and his name shall be famous in Israel. And he shall 15 be to thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thy old age for thy daughter-in-law who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him a child." And 16 Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, 17 saying, "There is a son born to Naomi ;" and they called his name Obed: he was the father of Jesse,'the father of David.

Now these are the descendants of Pharez: Pharez begat 18 Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 19 and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 20 and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed 22 begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

END OF FIRST VOLUME.

Woodfall and Kinder, Printers, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London.

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