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So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these [were] men of valor.


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But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed in the rock of Rimmon four months.


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The men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the livestock, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.


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Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin as wife.”


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The people came to Bethel, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.


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They said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?”


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It happened on the next day that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.


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The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”


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The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.


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How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”


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They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah?” Behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.


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For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.


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The congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.


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This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”


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They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.


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The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.


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Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead: and yet so they weren’t enough for them.


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The people grieved for Benjamin, because that Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.


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Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”


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They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.


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However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”


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They said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”


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They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,


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and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.


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It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, otherwise you would now be guilty.’”


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The children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.


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The children of Israel departed there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.


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In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.


It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
They took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about ten years.
Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread.
She went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house: Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.
Yahweh grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
They said to her, “No, but we will return with you to your people.”
Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, ‘I have hope,’ if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;
would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.”
They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.
She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”
Ruth said, “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;
where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me.”
When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. It happened, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and [the women] said, “Is this Naomi?”
She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “Yahweh be with you.” They answered him, “Yahweh bless you.”
Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, “Whose young lady is this?”
The servant who was set over the reapers answered, “It is the Moabite lady who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.
She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she stayed a little in the house.”
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go to glean in another field, and don’t go from here, but stay here close to my maidens.
Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Haven’t I commanded the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from that which the young men have drawn.”
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner?”
Boaz answered her, “It has fully been shown me, all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband; and how you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you didn’t know before.
May Yahweh repay your work, and a full reward be given you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not as one of your handmaidens.”
At meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it.
When she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and don’t reproach her.
Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and don’t rebuke her.”
So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
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 which she had left after she was sufficed.
Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? Where have you worked? Blessed be he who noticed you.” She showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of Yahweh, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.”
Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close to my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.’”
Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not meet you in any other field.”
So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived with her mother-in-law.
Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?
Now isn’t Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.
Therefore wash yourself, anoint yourself, get dressed, and go down to the threshing floor, but don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
It shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”

SRS | SRU


She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”
She went down to the threshing floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law told her.
When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. She came softly, uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
It happened at midnight, that the man was startled and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
He said, “Who are you?” She answered, “I am Ruth your handmaid. Therefore spread your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.”
He said, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you didn’t follow young men, whether poor or rich.
Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman.
Now it is true that I am a near kinsman; however there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Stay this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform for you the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman for you, then will I do the part of a kinsman for you, as Yahweh lives. Lie down until the morning.”
She lay at his feet until the morning. She rose up before one could discern another. For he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
He said, “Bring the mantle that is on you, and hold it.” She held it; and he measured six [measures] of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.
When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?” She told her all that the man had done to her.
She said, “He gave me these six [measures] of barley; for he said, ‘Don’t go empty to your mother-in-law.’”
Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing this day.”
Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. Behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he said, “Come over here, friend, and sit down!” He turned aside, and sat down.
He took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” They sat down.

GRU | SRG


He said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s.
I thought to disclose it to you, saying, ‘Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know. For there is no one to redeem it besides you; and I am after you.” He said, “I will redeem it.”
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.”
The near kinsman said, “I can’t redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself; for I can’t redeem it.”
Now this was [the custom] in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the [way of] attestation in Israel.
So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” He took off his shoe.
Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.