Ruth 2

 

וּלְנָעֳמִי (מְיֻדָּע) [מֹודַע] לְאִישָׁהּ אִישׁ גִּבֹּור חַיִל מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת אֱלִימֶלֶךְ וּשְׁמֹו בֹּעַז׃   2:1

Ruth 2:1   Now of Naomi's, was a kinsman to her husband, a mighty man, wealthy, from the family

of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

The name Boaz means fleetness, another meaning of limited significance, other than he was quick to help Ruth.  The word in the parentheses is misspelled.  The yad should be a vav, as in the correction in the brackets.

וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמֹּואֲבִיָּה אֶל־נָעֳמִי אֵלְכָה־נָּא הַשָּׂדֶה וַאֲלַקֳטָה בַשִּׁבֳּלִים אַחַר אֲשֶׁר אֶמְצָא־חֵן   2:2

בְּעֵינָיו וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ לְכִי בִתִּי׃

Ruth 2:2   And Ruth, the Moabitess, said to Naomi, “I will go now to the field and glean among the

ears of grain following one in whose eyes I might find favor.”  And she said to her, “Go, my

daughter.”

וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתָּבוֹא וַתְּלַקֵּט בַּשָּׂדֶה אַחֲרֵי הַקֹּצְרִים וַיִּקֶר מִקְרֶהָ חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה לְבֹעַז אֲשֶׁר מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת   2:3

אֱלִימֶלֶךְ׃

Ruth 2:3   And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the harvesters.  And it happened

by chance it was the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the family of Elimelech.

וְהִנֵּה־בֹעַז בָּא מִבֵּית לֶחֶם וַיֹּאמֶר לַקּוֹצְרִים יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה׃   2:4

Ruth 2:4   And behold, Boaz had come from Bethlehem, and he said to the harvesters, “The Lord

be with you!”  And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.”

וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לְנַעֲרוֹ הַנִּצָּב עַל־הַקּוֹצְרִים לְמִי הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת׃   2:5

Ruth 2:5   Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the harvesters, “Whose is this damsel?”

וַיַּעַן הַנַּעַר הַנִּצָּב עַל־הַקּוֹצְרִים וַיֹּאמַר נַעֲרָה מוֹאֲבִיָּה הִיא הַשָּׁבָה עִם־נָעֳמִי מִשְּׂדֵה מוֹאָב׃   2:6

Ruth 2:6   And the servant who was set over the harvesters answered and said, “She is a Moabitish damsel who returned with Naomi from the plains of Moab,

וַתֹּאמֶר אֲלַקֳטָה־נָּא וְאָסַפְתִּי בָעֳמָרִים אַחֲרֵי הַקּוֹצְרִים וַתָּבוֹא וַתַּעֲמוֹד מֵאָז הַבֹּקֶר וְעַד־עַתָּה זֶה   2:7

שִׁבְתָּהּ הַבַּיִת מְעָט׃

Ruth 2:7   and she said, “Please let me glean that I may gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.”  And she came and has remained from the morning until now; she stayed here at the

house a little.

וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז אֶל־רוּת הֲלוֹא שָׁמַעַתְּ בִּתִּי אַל־תֵּלְכִי לִלְקֹט בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר וְגַם לֹא תַעֲבוּרִי מִזֶּה וְכֹה   2:8

 תִדְבָּקִין עִם־נַעֲרֹתָי׃

Ruth 2:8   And Boaz said to Ruth, “Do you not hear, my daughter?  You must not go to glean in any other field, or even pass over from this one, but stay close here with my maidens,

עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר־יִקְצֹרוּן וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן הֲלֹוא צִוִּיתִי אֶת־הַנְּעָרִים לְבִלְתִּי נָגְעֵךְ וְצָמִת וְהָלַכְתְּ   2:9

אֶל־הַכֵּלִים וְשָׁתִית מֵאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאֲבוּן הַנְּעָרִים׃

Ruth 2:9   your eyes on the field that they will harvest, then you will go after them.  Have I not

charged the young men to not touch you?  When you become thirsty, then you should go to the

utensils and drink from what the young men will have drawn.”

There’s an interesting subtlety in the Hebrew of the first part of this verse.  The third and fourth Hebrew words are translated as that they will harvest; then the sixth word is translated as after them.  Now the first pronoun they is masculine while the second pronoun them is feminine.  Thus Boaz must be telling Ruth to keep her eyes on the harvesters, and then to follow his handmaidens as they glean.  No way to get this from the English.

וַתִּפֹּל עַל־פָּנֶיהָ וַתִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מַדּוּעַ מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ לְהַכִּירֵנִי וְאָנֹכִי נָכְרִיָּה׃   2:10

Ruth 2:10   Then she fell down on her face and bowed down to the ground, and she said to him,

“Why have I found such favor in your eyes, to acknowledge me, though I am a foreigner?”

וַיַּעַן בֹּעַז וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂית אֶת־חֲמֹותֵךְ אַחֲרֵי מֹות אִישֵׁךְ וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ   2:11 

וְאִמֵּךְ וְאֶרֶץ מֹולַדְתֵּךְ וַתֵּלְכִי אֶל־עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַעַתְּ תְּמֹול שִׁלְשֹׁום׃

Ruth 2:11   And Boaz responded, and he said to her, “All that you have accomplished with your

mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully explained to me, that you have

forsaken your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that

you did not know until very recently.”

יְשַׁלֵּם יְהוָה פָּעֳלֵךְ וּתְהִי מַשְׂכֻּרְתֵּךְ שְׁלֵמָה מֵעִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־בָּאת לַחֲסוֹת    2:12

תַּחַת־כְּנָפָיו׃

Ruth 2:12   The Lord shall repay your deed, and may your reward be full from the Lord, God of

Israel, under Whose ‘wings’ you have come seeking refuge.”

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶמְצָא־חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנִי כִּי נִחַמְתָּנִי וְכִי דִבַּרְתָּ עַל־לֵב שִׁפְחָתֶךָ וְאָנֹכִי לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּאַחַת   2:13

שִׁפְחֹתֶיךָ׃

Ruth 2:13   And she said, “May I attain to grace in your eyes, my lord, that you comfort me and that you speak to the heart of your handmaid, though I could not be as one of your handmaidens.”

וַיֹּאמֶר לָה בֹעַז לְעֵת הָאֹכֶל גֹּשִׁי הֲלֹם וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן־הַלֶּחֶם וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקּוֹצְרִים   2:14

וַיִּצְבָּט־לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר׃

Ruth 2:14   And Boaz said to her at meal time, “Draw near here, and you shall eat from the bread,

and dip your piece in vinegar.”  Then she sat at the side of the harvesters and he held out parched

corn to her, and she ate and was satisfied, so she left over.

וַתָּקָם לְלַקֵּט וַיְצַו בֹּעַז אֶת־נְעָרָיו לֵאמֹר גַּם בֵּין הָעֳמָרִים תְּלַקֵּט וְלֹא תַכְלִימוּהָ׃   2:15

Ruth 2:15   When she rose to glean, then Boaz commanded his young men saying, “She can glean

even among the sheaves, and you shall not shame her.”

וְגַם שֹׁל־תָּשֹׁלּוּ לָהּ מִן־הַצְּבָתִים וַעֲזַבְתֶּם וְלִקְּטָה וְלֹא תִגְעֲרוּ־בָהּ׃   2:16

Ruth 2:16   “And you will also pull up quickly for her from the bundles and leave, and she will glean and you will not find fault with her.”

וַתְּלַקֵּט בַּשָּׂדֶה עַד־הָעָרֶב וַתַּחְבֹּט אֵת אֲשֶׁר־לִקֵּטָה וַיְהִי כְּאֵיפָה שְׂעֹרִים׃   2:17

Ruth 2:17   So she gleaned in the field until evening; then she beat out what she had gleaned, and

it was about an ephah of barley.

וַתִּשָּׂא וַתָּבוֹא הָעִיר וַתֵּרֶא חֲמוֹתָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־לִקֵּטָה וַתּוֹצֵא וַתִּתֶּן־לָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הוֹתִרָה מִשָּׂבְעָהּ׃   2:18

Ruth 2:18   This she lifted up and reentered the city.  And her mother-in-law saw what she had

gleaned, and she brought out and gave to her what she had left over from her having been

satisfied.

וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ חֲמוֹתָהּ אֵיפֹה לִקַּטְתְּ הַיּוֹם וְאָנָה עָשִׂית יְהִי מַכִּירֵךְ בָּרוּךְ וַתַּגֵּד לַחֲמוֹתָהּ אֵת   2:19

אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָה עִמּוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר שֵׁם הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי עִמּוֹ הַיּוֹם בֹּעַז׃

Ruth 2:19   And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you do? 

May he who acknowledged you be blessed.”  And she related to her mother-in-law whom she had

worked with, as she said, “The name of the man whom I worked with today is Boaz.”

וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי לְכַלָּתָהּ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַיהוָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָזַב חַסְדּוֹ אֶת־הַחַיִּים וְאֶת־הַמֵּתִים וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ   2:20

 נָעֳמִי קָרוֹב לָנוּ הָאִישׁ מִגֹּאֲלֵנוּ הוּא׃

Ruth 2:20   And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed is he by the Lord Who does not

forego His kindness with those living or with those dead.”  And Naomi said to her, “Near to us is

the man; he is our kinsman.”

וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה גַּם כִּי־אָמַר אֵלַי עִם־הַנְּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר־לִי תִּדְבָּקִין עַד אִם־כִּלּוּ אֵת כָּל־הַקָּצִיר   2:21

 אֲשֶׁר־לִי׃

Ruth 2:21   And Ruth, the Moabitess, said, “Then he also said to me, “You will stay close with the

young men who are mine until they finish all the harvest that is mine.’”

וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי אֶל־רוּת כַּלָּתָהּ טוֹב בִּתִּי כִּי תֵצְאִי עִם־נַעֲרוֹתָיו וְלֹא יִפְגְּעוּ־בָךְ בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר׃   2:22

Ruth 2:22   And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “Good, my daughter, that you will go out

with his maidens; then no others will encounter you in a different field.”

וַתִּדְבַּק בְּנַעֲרוֹת בֹּעַז לְלַקֵּט עַד־כְּלוֹת קְצִיר־הַשְּׂעֹרִים וּקְצִיר הַחִטִּים וַתֵּשֶׁב אֶת־חֲמוֹתָהּ׃   2:23

Ruth 2:23   So she clung to the maidens of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the harvest of the barley and of the harvest of the wheat, and she dwelled with her mother-in-law.

 

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