MacWorld 1996 July/Macworld (1996-07).dmg/Shareware World/Communication/WarpSearch CGI 1.0/The_Bible/ruth.txt

Text File | 1996-04-13 | 14KB | 261 lines

The next file is: RUTH
1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that
 there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of
 Beth-lehem-judah went to dwell in the country of Moab, he, and
 his wife, and his two sons.
1:2 And the name of the man [was] Elimelech, and the name of his
 wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion,
 Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country
 of Moab, and continued there.
1:3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and
 her two sons.
1:4 And they took to themselves wives of the women of Moab; the
 name of the one [was] Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth:
 and they dwelt there about ten years.
1:5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman
 was left by her two sons and her husband.
1:6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might
 return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the
 country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in
 giving them bread.
1:7 Wherefore she went forth from the place where she was, and
 her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to
 return to the land of Judah.
1:8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each
 to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye
 have dealt with the dead, and with me.
1:9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each [of you] in
 the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted
 up their voice, and wept.
1:10 And they said to her, surely we will return with thee to
 thy people.
1:11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go
 with me? shall I bear more sons, that they may be your
 husbands?
1:12 Turn again, my daughters, go [your way]; for I am too old
 to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, [if] I should
 have a husband also to-night, and should also bear sons;
1:13 Would ye wait for them till they should be grown? would ye
 stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it
 grieveth me much for your sakes, that the hand of the LORD has
 gone out against me.
1:14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again. And Orpah
 kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth cleaved to her.
1:15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law hath gone back to
 her people, and to her gods: return thou after thy
 sister-in-law.
1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, [or] to return
 from following thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and
 where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people [shall be] my
 people, and thy God my God:
1:17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:
 the LORD do so to me, and more also, [if aught] but death shall
 part thee and me.
1:18 When she saw that she was steadfastly resolved to go with
 her, then she left speaking to her.
1:19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came
 to pass, when they had come to Beth-lehem, that all the city
 was moved about them, and they said, [Is] this Naomi?
1:20 And she said to them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for
 the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
1:21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again
 empty: why [then] call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath
 testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her
 daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of
 Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of
 barley-harvest.
2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of
 wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name [was] Boaz.
2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the
 field, and glean ears of corn after [him] in whose sight I
 shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
2:3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the
 reapers: and her lot was to light on a part of the field
 [belonging] to Boaz, who [was] of the kindred of Elimelech.
2:4 And behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said to the
 reapers, The LORD [be] with you. And they answered him, The
 LORD bless thee.
2:5 Then said Boaz to his servant that was set over the reapers,
 Whose damsel [is] this?
2:6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and
 said, It [is] the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi
 from the country of Moab:
2:7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the
 reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even
 from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the
 house.
2:8 Then said Boaz to Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go
 not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide
 here fast by my maidens:
2:9 [Let] thy eyes [be] on the field that they are reaping, and
 go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they
 shall not touch thee? and when thou art thirsty go to the
 vessels, and drink of [that] which the young men have drawn.
2:10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
 and said to him, Why have I found grace in thy eyes, that thou
 shouldst take knowledge of me, seeing I [am] a stranger?
2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It hath fully been shown
 to me, all that thou hast done to thy mother-in-law since the
 death of thy husband: and [how] thou hast left thy father and
 thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and hast come to a
 people which thou knewest not heretofore.
2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given
 thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou hast
 come to trust.
2:13 Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord; for
 that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken
 kindly to thy handmaid, though I am not like to one of thy
 handmaidens.
2:14 And Boaz said to her, At meal-time come thou hither, and
 eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she
 sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched [corn], and
 she ate, and was satisfied, and left.
2:15 And when she had risen to glean, Boaz commanded his young
 men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach
 her not:
2:16 And let fall also [some] of the handfuls of purpose for
 her, and leave [them], that she may glean [them], and rebuke
 her not.
2:17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out
 that which she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of
 barley.
2:18 And she took [it], and went into the city: and her
 mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth,
 and gave to her what she had reserved after she was satisfied.
2:19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where hast thou gleaned
 to-day? and where hast thou labored? blessed be he that took
 knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom
 she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought
 to-day [is] Boaz.
2:20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed [be] he of
 the LORD, 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.
2:21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said to me also, Thou shalt
 keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my
 harvest.
2:22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, [It is] good,
 my daughter, that thou shouldst go out with his maidens, that
 they meet thee not in any other field.
2:23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean to the end
 of barley-harvest and of wheat-harvest; and dwelt with her
 mother-in-law.
3:1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall
 I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
3:2 And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens
 thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the
 threshing-floor.
3:3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment
 upon thee, and go down to the floor: [but] make not thyself
 known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
3:4 And it shall be when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the
 place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his
 feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt
 do.
3:5 And she said to her, All that thou sayest to me I will do.
3:6 And she went down to the floor, and did according to all
 that her mother-in-law bade her.
3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and drank, and his heart was merry,
 he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she
 came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid herself down.
3:8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid,
 and turned himself: and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
3:9 And he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth
 thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid;
 for thou [art] a near kinsman.
3:10 And he said, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD, my daughter:
 [for] thou hast shown more kindness in the latter end than at
 the beginning, inasmuch as thou didst not follow young men,
 whether poor or rich.
3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that
 thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that
 thou [art] a virtuous woman.
3:12 And now it is true that I [am thy] near kinsman: yet there
 is a kinsman nearer than I.
3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, [that] if
 he will perform to thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do
 the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman
 to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, [as] the
 LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
3:14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose
 before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known
 that a woman came to the floor.
3:15 Also he said, Bring the vail that [thou hast] upon thee,
 and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six [measures]
 of barley, and laid [it] on her: and she went into the city.
3:16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who [art]
 thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done
 to her.
3:17 And she said, These six [measures] of barley he gave me;
 for he said to me, Go not empty to thy mother-in-law.
3:18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou knowest
 how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest,
 until he hath finished the thing this day.
4:1 Then Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there: and
 behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he
 said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned
 aside, and sat down.
4:2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit
 ye down here. And they sat down.
4:3 And he said to the kinsman, Naomi, that has come again out
 of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which [was]
 our brother Elimelech's:
4:4 And I thought to advertise 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 thee. And he said, I will
 redeem [it].
4:5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand
 of Naomi, thou must buy [it] also of Ruth the Moabitess, the
 wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his
 inheritance.
4:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem [it] for myself, lest
 I mar my own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for
 I cannot redeem [it].
4:7 Now this [was the manner] in former time in Israel
 concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for confirming
 all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave [it] to his
 neighbor: and this [was] a testimony in Israel.
4:8 Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, Buy [it] for thyself. So
 he drew off his shoe.
4:9 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, of the
 hand of Naomi.
4:10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I
 purchased 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.
4:11 And all the people that [were] in the gate, and the elders
 said, [We are] witnesses. The LORD make the woman that hath
 come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did
 build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah,
 and be famous in Beth-lehem:
4:12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar
 bore to Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of
 this young woman.
4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went
 in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
4:14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed [be] the LORD, who
 hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name
 may be famous in Israel.
4:15 And he shall 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.
4:16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and
 became its nurse.
4:17 And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There
 is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he [is]
 the father of Jesse, the father of David.
4:18 Now these [are] the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat
 Hezron,
4:19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
4:20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
4:21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
4:22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.