1   Booz thanne wente vp to the &yogh;ate, and sat there; and whanne he hadde seen the ny&yogh; kyn passe biside, of the which before word is had, he seide to hym, Bowe aside a litil, and sit here, clepynge hym bi his name. The which turnede a side, and sat. 2   Forsothe Booz takynge ten men of the eldre of the citee seide to hem, Sittith here. 3   The which sittynge, he spak to the ny&yogh; kyn, Noemy soolde a parti of the feeld of oure brother Elymalech, the which is turnyd a&yogh;en fro Moabitis regyon, 4   the which thing Y wold thee to here, and to thee seyn before al men sittynge and the more men thur&yogh; birth of my puple. If thou wolt weeld the feeld bi ry&yogh;t of ni&yogh; kynrede, bye and weeld; forsothe if it to thee displese, that same thing shewe to me, that I wite what I owe to do; forsothe no man is ny&yogh; kyn, out taak thee that art formere, and me that am secounde. And he answerde, I the feelde shal bye. 5   To whom seide Booz, Whanne thow biest the feeld of the hoond of the womman, forsothe Ruth Moabite, that was the wijf of the deed, thou owist to take, that thow rere the name of thi ny&yogh; kyn in his erytage. 6   The which answerde, I leeue the ri&yogh;t of my ny&yogh; kynrede; forsothe ne Y owe to doon aweie the after comynge of my meyne; thou my priuelege vse, `the which Y knowleche me gladly to want. 7   Forsothe this was the manere in oold tyme in Yrael bitwixe ny&yogh; kyn, that if eny tyme oon to anothere lafte his ri&yogh;t, that the grauntynge were stable, the man looside his sho, and &yogh;af to his ny&yogh; kyn; that was witnessynge of the leuynge in

Yrael. 8   Thanne seide Booz to his ny&yogh; kyn, Tak thi sho to me; the which anoon he looside fro his foot. 9   And he to the more thur&yogh; birth and to al the puple, Witnessis &yogh;e ben, he seith, to day, that Y owe to weelde alle that weren of Elymalech, and Chelyon, and Maalon, &yogh;yuynge Noemy; 10   and Y shulde take Ruth Moabite, the wijf of Maalon, into weddynge, that I rere the name of the deed in his erytage; lest the name of hym fro his meynee and bretheren and puple be doon a wey. Forsothe &yogh;e of this thing ben witnessis. 11   Al the puple answerde, that was in the &yogh;ate, and the more thur&yogh; birth, We ben witnessis; the Lord make this womman, that goth into thin hows, as Rachel and Lya, that edifiden the hows of Yrael, that she be exsaumple of vertu in Effrata, and she haue a solempne name in Bethlem; 12   and thin hous be maad as the hous of Phares, whom Thamar beere to Juda, of the seed that the Lord shal &yogh;eue to thee of this child womman. 13   And so Booz took Ruth, and took hir to wijf; and he wente yn to her, and the Lord &yogh;af to hir, and she conseyuede, and beer a child. 14   And wymmen seide to Noemy, Blissid the Lord, which hath not suffrid, that the successour of thi meyne shulde fail, and his name shulde be clepid in Irael; 15   and thou haue that coumfort thi lijf, and norishe thin eeld. Forsothe of thi dou&yogh;ter in lawe is born, that shal loue thee, and mych betere is to thee, than thou&yogh; thou haddist seuen sones. 16   And Noemy putte the takun child in hir bosum; and vside the office of norshe, and of berer. 17   Forsothe the wymmen nei&yogh;bours togidre thankynge to hir, and seiynge, The sone of Noemy is born, clepeden his name Obeth. This is the fader of Ysay, fader

of Dauyd. 18   Thes ben the generaciouns of Phares; 19   Phares gat Esrom; Esrom gat Aram; 20   Aram gat Amynadab; Amynadab gat Naason; Naason gat Salmon; Salmon gat Booz; 21   Booz gat Obeth; Obeth gat Ysay; 22   Ysay gat Dauyd the kyng. Here eendith Ruth.

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