Part 180 (1/2)

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. The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen.”

And Ruth the Moabitess said, ”Yea, he said unto me, 'Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.'”

And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, ”It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field.”

So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, ”My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is there not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the thres.h.i.+ng-floor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go down to the thres.h.i.+ng-floor: but make not thyself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 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.”

And she said to her, ”All that thou sayest I will do.”

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

RUTH IN THE HARVEST FIELDS OF BOAZ

By Bruck-Lajos. Born at Papa, Hungary, November 3, 1846-

”And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she chanced to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.”

”Perhaps the selfsame song that found a path Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn.”

--_Keats--”Ode to a Nightingale”_

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And she went down unto the thres.h.i.+ng-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.

And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, 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 her down.

And it came to pa.s.s at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, ”Who art thou?”

And she answered, ”I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy robe over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.”

And he said, ”Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto 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.”

And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could discern another.

For he said, ”Let it not be known that a woman came to the thres.h.i.+ng-floor.”

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And he said, ”Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it.”

And she held it: and he measured six measures of barley, and gave it to her: and he went into the city.

And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, ”How hast thou fared, my daughter?”

And she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, ”These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said, 'Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law.'”

Then said she, ”Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing this day.”