10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said nto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime 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 did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 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. 17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. 19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20 And Naomi said unto 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 unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law. RUTH IV. 1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto 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, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: 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 beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. 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. 6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. 7 Now this was the manner in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. 8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto 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. 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. 11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and she bare him a son. 14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17 And the women her neighbours 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. BIOGRAPHY. LESSON 30.-Boaz.-A descendant of Judah-a wealthy man who married Ruth--from him descended David and our Lord. Deborah. A prophetess-the wife of Lapidothcalled upon Barak to deliver the Israelites from Jabinwent with him to the field of battle-overthrew Jabin, and composed a triumphal song. Ehud. Of the tribe of Benjamin-he slew Eglon, king of Moab-defeated the Moabites, and judged Israel. LESSON 31.-Gideon.-Called also Jerubbaal-raised up by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites-had a double sign of God's favour shown to him in his fleece and the dew-he judged Israel. Jephthah.-The son of Gilead-delivered Israel from the Ammonites-made a rash vow-sacrificed his daughter, and judged Israel. Joshua. The son of Nun, and successor of Moses— he commanded the Israelites on their first attack by the Amalekites-was one of the twelve spies-besides Caleb the only one who left Egypt allowed to enter the Promised Land-conquered Canaan-divided the land-died when 110 years of age. LESSON 32.-Rahab.-The woman of Jericho who hid the spies, and with her family was preserved by the Israelites upon the overthrow of that city. Ruth.-a Moabitess-had married Mahlon the son of Naomi with her mother-in-law she went to live at Bethlehem-married Boaz-became an ancestor of David, and also of the Messiah. LESSON 33.-Samson.-The son of Manoah-of the tribe of Dan-a Nazarite-noted for his great strengthslew a lion-smote the Philistines hip and thighdestroyed their crops with firebrands tied to foxes' tailsslew 1,000 with the jawbone of an ass-carried away the gates and posts of Gaza-was shorn of his hair by the Philistines-made a prisoner by them-had his eyes put out-overthrew the temple of Dagon, killing himself and about 3,000 Philistines-judged Israel twenty years. |