She Waited till He Slept
"I don't understand ~ what do you mean 'kinsman-redeemer'? Was he related to Elimelech? Why has he not asked you to move on to his estate, if he is kin?" Ruth fretted at Naomi's words as she dished up the dinner she had made.
"No. He is not 'kin' like that. He is Elimelech's kinsman, but a distant relative...they come from the same clan. No. 'Kinsman-redeemer' ... it is a role, um a tradition from the law. You see, Ruth, God owns all the land ~ all of it. He has given it to families based upon which tribe we are from. He did it when we first came to the promised land."
"I thought you said Elimelech had land and you were going to sell it . . ."
"Yes, but you see the land should stay in the family. Even if I sold it to some other family, some other clan, at the Jubilee it would come back to the family. You see? It is God's ~ I cannot sell that. It is more that I sell the right to use it and gain from the crops -- until the Jubilee."
"What does that have to do with Boaz being ... what did you say, "kinsman-redeemer"? Will he redeem back the land at the Jubilee? When is that, soon right. He isn't, well, young."
"No...there is something else. It is more than the land he can redeem. You see, here if a man dies and there are no children to inherit the land, then his brother, or someone who is kin, can marry the widow. He gains the land, and their children will inherit in the name of the man who died. His name and his inheritance will not be lost. And the widow will be cared for and have the chance to have a family and live on the land."
Ruth's eyes grew large as it dawned on her what Naomi was saying. "That is what you meant when you said 'really it was finally Mahlon's land. You mean...Boaz...you think . . . but he won't - - - marry me ~ I am a Moabite."
"Yes. Listen, he has shown you much favor -- he always sends the "extra" grain, he has you sit with his girls at lunch and feeds you from his own table. I do not know why he has not spoken for you. I know -- from the women at the well, they all talk of how you have caught his eye."
"I didn't! Naomi, I never ..."
"Hush Child. They do not criticize you. In fact, everyone speaks well of you now -- no, they do! They have told me again and again how I am blessed to have a daughter who loves me more than seven sons. They see you in the fields, how you work, how modest you are. And they speak of Boaz, how he stands and watches you when he thinks they do not see, how ... he smiles now. He had a wife, you know. Her name was Hanni. . . that means "pleasant or lovely" ~ and she was! She was the very sun in Boaz's day. They married and ... such joy, but - well there were no children. Boaz said he didn't care. Then she conceived ---- but the delivery, well...the midwife did her best but...he lost both Hanni and the baby. We feared he would follow her to the grave. He came out of it, but it is rare to see him smile."
"But . . . Naomi, yes he is kind. But he must know this law, this tradition as well as you. He has not spoken. He . . ."
"Ruth, I have a plan. You see, it is the right of the widow to go to the kinsman and ask him to be her redeemer. Tonight is the end of the harvest. There is a feast. Boaz will be winnowing the wheat, and then he will sleep there on the threshing floor. See, I have made you a new dress and here is water for a bath..."
-------
Her heart was in her throat. "Can I do this? What if he says, 'no', or laughs, or . . . " Softly, like the breeze from the fields, Ruth crept across the threshing floor to where Boaz slept by the stacks of grain. She gently lifted the edge of the blanket at his feet and lay down, hardly daring to breathe, lest she wake him. Just as she settled and closed her eyes, hoping to rest, if not to sleep -- how could she sleep? -- Boaz startled.
"Who? What...? Who are you, girl. What are you...?
"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer. "Her voice was the barest whisper saying the words Naomi had her memorize, and she trembled and hid her face in her cloak, looking down at his feet.
"Ruth? What are you . . . ?" Then he stopped and shook his head. "... kinsman? kinsman-redeemer? You are asking . . . ?"
"Oh. So you will not? I will go. I do not think anyone saw me come. I am sorry. Naomi said ~ "
He reached for her hand to draw her back. "No, wait. . .wait. You would want me ~ as husband? You are young and so lovely. Did Naomi explain?"
"You are a near kin. She said I could come to you and ask you to . . . . I am sorry. I will go. I tried to tell her you would not want me. I am sorry. I will go."
"Ruth ~ wait. Not want you? Oh, Ruth! Do you want me? I am not young...would you want me? "
"Yes, Boaz, if you would have me. And you are not so old." Their eyes met and they smiled shyly, and Boaz softly laughed.
"You have been kind to Naomi, working for her in the fields, caring for her. but . . . The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."
So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.
When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?"
Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"
Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."
NIV
"No. He is not 'kin' like that. He is Elimelech's kinsman, but a distant relative...they come from the same clan. No. 'Kinsman-redeemer' ... it is a role, um a tradition from the law. You see, Ruth, God owns all the land ~ all of it. He has given it to families based upon which tribe we are from. He did it when we first came to the promised land."
"I thought you said Elimelech had land and you were going to sell it . . ."
"Yes, but you see the land should stay in the family. Even if I sold it to some other family, some other clan, at the Jubilee it would come back to the family. You see? It is God's ~ I cannot sell that. It is more that I sell the right to use it and gain from the crops -- until the Jubilee."
"What does that have to do with Boaz being ... what did you say, "kinsman-redeemer"? Will he redeem back the land at the Jubilee? When is that, soon right. He isn't, well, young."
"No...there is something else. It is more than the land he can redeem. You see, here if a man dies and there are no children to inherit the land, then his brother, or someone who is kin, can marry the widow. He gains the land, and their children will inherit in the name of the man who died. His name and his inheritance will not be lost. And the widow will be cared for and have the chance to have a family and live on the land."
Ruth's eyes grew large as it dawned on her what Naomi was saying. "That is what you meant when you said 'really it was finally Mahlon's land. You mean...Boaz...you think . . . but he won't - - - marry me ~ I am a Moabite."
"Yes. Listen, he has shown you much favor -- he always sends the "extra" grain, he has you sit with his girls at lunch and feeds you from his own table. I do not know why he has not spoken for you. I know -- from the women at the well, they all talk of how you have caught his eye."
"I didn't! Naomi, I never ..."
"Hush Child. They do not criticize you. In fact, everyone speaks well of you now -- no, they do! They have told me again and again how I am blessed to have a daughter who loves me more than seven sons. They see you in the fields, how you work, how modest you are. And they speak of Boaz, how he stands and watches you when he thinks they do not see, how ... he smiles now. He had a wife, you know. Her name was Hanni. . . that means "pleasant or lovely" ~ and she was! She was the very sun in Boaz's day. They married and ... such joy, but - well there were no children. Boaz said he didn't care. Then she conceived ---- but the delivery, well...the midwife did her best but...he lost both Hanni and the baby. We feared he would follow her to the grave. He came out of it, but it is rare to see him smile."
"But . . . Naomi, yes he is kind. But he must know this law, this tradition as well as you. He has not spoken. He . . ."
"Ruth, I have a plan. You see, it is the right of the widow to go to the kinsman and ask him to be her redeemer. Tonight is the end of the harvest. There is a feast. Boaz will be winnowing the wheat, and then he will sleep there on the threshing floor. See, I have made you a new dress and here is water for a bath..."
-------
Her heart was in her throat. "Can I do this? What if he says, 'no', or laughs, or . . . " Softly, like the breeze from the fields, Ruth crept across the threshing floor to where Boaz slept by the stacks of grain. She gently lifted the edge of the blanket at his feet and lay down, hardly daring to breathe, lest she wake him. Just as she settled and closed her eyes, hoping to rest, if not to sleep -- how could she sleep? -- Boaz startled.
"Who? What...? Who are you, girl. What are you...?
"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer. "Her voice was the barest whisper saying the words Naomi had her memorize, and she trembled and hid her face in her cloak, looking down at his feet.
"Ruth? What are you . . . ?" Then he stopped and shook his head. "... kinsman? kinsman-redeemer? You are asking . . . ?"
"Oh. So you will not? I will go. I do not think anyone saw me come. I am sorry. Naomi said ~ "
He reached for her hand to draw her back. "No, wait. . .wait. You would want me ~ as husband? You are young and so lovely. Did Naomi explain?"
"You are a near kin. She said I could come to you and ask you to . . . . I am sorry. I will go. I tried to tell her you would not want me. I am sorry. I will go."
"Ruth ~ wait. Not want you? Oh, Ruth! Do you want me? I am not young...would you want me? "
"Yes, Boaz, if you would have me. And you are not so old." Their eyes met and they smiled shyly, and Boaz softly laughed.
"You have been kind to Naomi, working for her in the fields, caring for her. but . . . The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."
So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.
When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?"
Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"
Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."
NIV
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