A   It fortuned, that (in the dayes of a certayne iudge) wh&ebar; the Iudges iudged, there fell a darth in the lande, and a certen m&abar; of Bethlehem Iuda went for to soiourne in the contreye of Moab: he and hys wyfe, and hys two sonnes. The name of the man was Elimelec, and the name of hys wyfe, Naomi: and the names of hys two sonnes were, Mahlon and Chilion, and they were Ephraites, out of Bethlehem Iuda. And wh&ebar; they came into the land of Moab, they contynued there. And Elimilec Naomies husband dyed, and she remayned with her two sonnes, which toke them wyues of the nacions of the Moabites: the ones name was Orpha, and the others Ruth. And they dwelled there about a ten yere. And Mahl&obar; Naomi and Chilion dyed also euen both of them, and the woman was lefte desolate of her two sonnes and of her husbande. B   Then stode she vp with her daughters in lawe, and returned from the countrey of Moab: for she had hearde saye in the countrey of Moab, how that the Lorde had vysyted hys people, and geuen them bred. Wherfore she departed out of the place where she was, and her two daughters with her. And they went on theyr waye to returne vnto the lande of Iuda. And Naomi sayde vnto her two daughters in lawe: go and returne eche of you vnto your mothers house: and the Lord deale as kyndlye with you, as ye haue dealt with the deed, and with me. And the Lorde geue you, that you maye fynde rest, ether of you in the house of her husbande. And whan she kyssed them, they lyft vp theyr voyce, &abar;d wepte, and sayde vnto her: we wyll go with the vnto thy folke. And Naomi sayde: turne agayne my daughters: for what cause wyll you go with me? Are there any mo chyldren in my wombe, to be your husbandes? Turne agayne my daughters, and go: for I am to olde to haue an husbande. And yf I sayde, C   I haue hope, yf I toke a man also this nyght: yee and though I had all readye borne sonnes, wolde ye tarye after them, tyll they were of age? or wolde ye for th&ebar; so long refrayne from takynge of husbandes? Not so my daughters: for it greueth me moch for youre sakes, that the hande of the Lorde is gone out agaynst me.

And they lyft vp their voyces, &abar;d wepte agayne, ∧ Orpha kyssed her mother in lawe, but Ruth aboade styll by her. And Naomi sayde: se, thy syster in lawe is gone backe agayne vnto her people and vnto her goddes: returne thou after her: And Ruth answered: entreate me not to leaue the, and to returne fr&obar; after the: for whether thou goest, I will go also, ∧ where thou dwellest, there I wyll dwell: thy people shalbe my people, and thy God my God, Where thou dyest, there wyll I dye, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so &abar;d so to me, yf ought but death onelye departe the and me asondre.

D   When she sawe þt; she was stedfastly mynded to go with her, she lefte speakynge vnto her. And so they went both, vntyll they came to Bethlehem. And when they were come to Bethlehem, it was noysed of th&ebar; thorow all the cytie, and the wemen sayd: is not this Naomi? And she answered th&ebar;: call me not Naomi (that is to saye, bewtyfull) but call me Mara, (that is to saye, bytter.) for þe; Allmyghtye hath made me verye bytter. I went out full: and þe; Lorde hath brought me home agayne emptie. Why then call ye me Naomi: seynge the Lord hath h&ubar;bled me, and the allmightie hath brought me vnto aduersyte? And so

Booz Naomi with Ruth the Moabitesse her daughter in lawe returned out of the countreye of Moab, and came to Bethlehem, in the begynninge of barley harueste. ¶ The .ij. Chapter. ¶ Ruth gathereth corne in the feldes of Booz.

A   And Naomis husb&abar;d had a kinsman of strength, and myght, (which was of the kynredd of Elimelec) named Booz. And Ruth the Moabitesse sayd vnto Naomi: let me go to the felde, &abar;d geather eares of corne (soch as the reapers leaue) after any man in whose syght, I fynde grace. And she sayde vnto her: go my daughter. And she went, and came to the felde, and geathered after the reapers, and her chaunce was, that the same felde pertayned vnto Booz, which was of the kynred of Elimelec. And behold, Booz came from Bethlehem, and sayd vnto the reapers: the Lorde be with you. And they answered him: the Lorde blesse the. Th&ebar; sayd Booz vnto his younge man that stode by the reapers. Whose damosell is this? And the younge man that stode by the reapers, answered, B   and sayde: it is the Moabityshe damosell, that came with Naomi out of the countrey of Moab, and she sayde vnto vs: Oh, let me lease ∧ geather after the reapers, the eares that remayne: and so she came, and hath continued euen from the mornyng vnto now, saue that she taried a litle in þe; house.

Then sayde Booz vnto Ruth: hearest þu; my daughter: go to no nother felde to geather, nether go from hence: but abyde here by my maydens. Let thine eyes be on the felde that they reape, and go thou after the maydens. Haue I not charged the young men, that they shal do þe; no hurt? Moreouer when thou art a thyrst, go vnto the vessels, and drinck of that which the laddes haue draw&ebar;. Then she fell on her face and ^note bowed her selfe to þe; grounde, and sayd vnto him: how is it that I haue founde grace in thine eyes, &abar;d that thou shuldest knowe me, seing I am an aliaunt?

C   And Booz answered and sayde vnto her: all is tolde &abar;d shewed me, that thou hast done vnto thy mother in lawe, sence þe; death of thyne husbande, how thou hast lefte thy father and thy mother, and þe; lande where thou wast borne, &abar;d art come vnto a naci&obar; which thou knewest not in tyme passed. The Lord quyte thy worcke, and a full rewarde be geuen the of the Lorde God of Israell, vnder whose wynges thou art come to abyde. Th&ebar; she sayde: let me fynde fauoure in thy syghte my Lorde, thou that hast conforted me, and spoken hartely vnto thy mayde, which yet am not like vnto one of thy maydens. Booz sayde vnto her agayne: in tyme of refeccyon come thou hither, and eate of the breed, and dypp thy soppe in the vinegre. And she sate downe by þe; reapers, ∧ he reached her ^note parched corne: of the which she dyd eate, &abar;d was suffised, and lefte parte. And when she was rysen vp to gather, Booz commaunded hys young m&ebar;, saying: let her gather eu&ebar; amonge the heapes, and forbydde her not. And leaue her some of the sheues for the nonce, and let it lye, þt; she maye gather it vp, (without shame) and rebuke her not. And so she geathered in the felde, vntyll euen, and thresshed that she had geathered, and it was in measure vpon an Epha (that is thre busshels) of barleye. And she toke it vp, D   and went into the cytie: and whan her mother in lawe had sene what she had gathered, she plucked out also, ∧ gaue to her that she had reserued, wh&ebar; she had eaten ynough. And her mother in lawe sayd vnto her: where hast thou gathered to daye? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he, that knewe þt;. And she shewed her mother &ibar; lawe how she had wrought with him, and sayde: the mannes name with whom I wrought to daye is Booz. And Naomi sayd vnto her daughter in lawe: blessed be he of the Lorde, for he ceasseth not to do ^note good to the lyuing and to the deed. And Naomi sayde agayne vnto her: the man is nye vnto vs, &abar;d of oure next kynne. And Ruth the Moabite sayde: he sayde vnto me also. Thou shalt be &wt; my young men, vntyll they haue ended all my haruest. And Naomi answered vnto Ruth her daughter in lawe: it is best my daughter that thou go out with hys maydens, that they fall not vpon the in any other felde. And so she kept her by the maydens of Booz, to gather, vnto the ende of barley haruest and of whete heruest also: and dwelt with her mother in lawe. ¶ The .iij. Chapter. ¶ Ruth sleapeth at Booz fete. and is knowen hys kynswoman.

A   Then Naomi her mother in lawe sayde vnto her: my daughter, shal I not seke reast for the, that thou mayst prosper? And is not Booz onre kynsman, with whose maydens thou wast? Beholde, he wenoweth barleye to nyght in the thresshynge floure: washe thy selfe therfore, and anoynt the, and put thy rayment vpon the, and gett the downe to the barne. But let not a man knowe of the, vntyll he haue leaft eatynge and drynckyng. And when he goeth to slepe, marcke the place where he layeth hym downe, and then go and lyfte vp the clothes, that are on his fete, and laye the downe there, and so shall he tell the what thou shalt do. And she answered her: all that thou byddyst me, I wyll do. B   And so she went downe vnto the barne, and dyd accordynge to all that her mother in lawe bade her. And when Booz had eaten ∧ droncken, and

Booz made him merye, and was gone in, to lye downe besyde the heape of corne, she came softlye, and lifte vp the clothes of his fete, and layde her downe. And at mydnight the man was afrayde and groped. And beholde: a woman laye at his fete. And he sayde: what art thou? she answered: I am Ruth thine h&abar;d mayde, sprede thy wynge ouer thine hand mayde, for thou art the next of the kynne. He sayd: blessed be þu; in the Lorde my daughter, for thou hast shewed more goodnesse in C    the later ende, then at the beginnynge, in as moche as thou folowedest not younge men, whether they were poore or riche. And now my daughter feare not, I will do to the all þt; thou requirest, for all the cytie of my people doth knowe, that thou art a woman of vertue. And it is true that I am of thy next kynne: howbe it, there is one nyer then I. Tary this night. And when mornyng is come, yf he will marye the, it is good, so let him do. But and yf he will not haue the, as sure as the Lorde lyueth I will haue the: lye styll vntil þe; morning. And so she laye at his fete vntill the morninge. And she arose vp before one coulde knowe another. And he sayde: let no man knowe, that there came any woman into the barne. D   And he sayde agayne: bringe thy m&abar;tell that thou hast vpon the, and holde it vp. And whan she helde it vp, he mette in sixe measures of Barleye, &abar;d layed it on her. And she gatt her into the cytie: and wh&abar; she came into her mother in lawe, she sayde: how is it with þe; my daughter? And she tolde her all that the man had done to her. And sayde also: these sixe measures of barlye gaue he me, and sayd: thou shalt not come emptie vnto thy mother in lawe. Then sayd she, my daughter, syt still, vntill þu; knowe how the matter will chaunce. For the man wyll not be in reast, vntill he haue fynysshed the thinge this same day. ¶ The .iiij. Chapter. ¶ Booz taketh Ruth to wyfe, of whom he begetteth Obed.

A   Then went Booz vnto the gate &abar;d satt him downe there: &abar;d beholde, the kynsm&abar; of which Booz spake, cam by. Unto whom, he sayde: come and sytte downe here, and called him by his name. And he turned in, and sate downe. And he toke ten m&ebar; of the elders of the citie, and sayd: sytye downe here. And they sat downe. And he sayde vnto the kynsman: Naomi that is come agayne out of the c&obar;treye of Moab ^note will sell a parcell of lande, which was oure brother Elimelecs. And I thought to do the to wete, and bid the bye it before the enhabitoures and elders of my people. Yf thou be disposed to redeme it, do: but and yf thou wilt not pourchase it, then tell me, þt; I maye knowe. For there is none Obed to calenge it, saue thou, and I nexte the. And the other answered: I will pourchase it.

B   Then sayde Booz, what daye thou biest the felde of the hand of Naomi, thou must take also Ruth the Moabite the ^note wyfe of the deed, to stere vp the name of the deed vp&obar; his enherita&ubar;ce. The kinsm&abar; answered: I c&abar;not purchase it, for marringe of myne awne enheritaunce: take thou my right to the, for I c&abar;not purchase it. Now, this was the maner of olde tyme in Israell concerninge purches and chaunging, for to stablishe all thinge: that a man must plucke of his showe, &abar;d geue it his neyghboure, and this was a sure witnesse in Israell.

C   Therfore the kinsman saide to Booz: Bye it thou: and so drue of his showe. And Booz sayde vnto the elders and vnto all the people: ye are witnesses this daye, that I haue bought all that was Elimelecs, and all that was Chilions and Mahlons, of the hand of Naomi. And moreouer, Ruth the Moabite the wyfe of Mahlon, haue I purchased to be my wyfe, to stere vp the name of the deed vpon his enheritaunce, and that his name be not put out from amonge his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this daye.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders sayde: we are wytnesses: the Lord make the woman that is come into thyne house, lyke ^note Rahel &abar;d Lea, which twayne dyd builde the house of Israell: do thou also valeauntly in Ephrata, and be famouse in Bethlehem. Thy house be like þe; house of Pharez ^note wh&obar; Thamar bare vnto Iuda, euen of the sede which the Lorde shall geue the of this younge woman.

D   And so Booz toke Ruth, and she was his wyfe. And wh&abar; he w&ebar;t in vnto her, the Lorde gaue, that she c&obar;ceaued, and bare a sonne. And the wemen sayde vnto Naomi: blessed be the Lorde, the which hath not left þe; without a kinsman, to haue a name in Israell, &abar;d that shall bring thy life agayne, and cherishe thine olde age. For thy daughter in lawe which loueth the, hath borne vnto him: and she is better to the then seuen sonnes. And Naomi toke the childe, &abar;d layed it in her lappe, and became nourse vnto it. And her neybours gaue it a name, saying: there is a childe borne to Naomi, and called it, Obed. The same is the father of Isai, the father of Dauid. These are the generacions of ^note Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron: Hezron begat Ram, Ram begat Aminadab, Aminadab begat Nahson, Nahson begat Salmon, Salmon begat Booz. Booz begat Obed, Obed begat Isai, Isai begat Dauid. ¶ The ende of the boke of Ruth.

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