Story Producer 141 - Ruth

Title options:[The story about] Ruth.Ruth, a foreigner, is loyal/ [kind] to her mother-in-law and she decides to worship Israel’s God. God provides for Ruth and makes her belong in a special way to his people.God provides for Ruth, a poor foreigner widow.

Long ago, there was a famine in the country where the Israelites [tribe/people of Israel] lived. (This was during the time when there was no king in Israel and everybody did what they individually thought was the right thing to do [even if it was wrong]).

There was an Israelite man named Elimelek. His wife was called [named] Naomi. They had two young sons. Elimelek decided to migrate [move] to the land [country] called Moab.Moab was a nearby country that had no famine in those years. However, the people of Moab worshipped other gods.

After a few years, Elimelek died in Moab. Naomi stayed in Moab with her two sons. She did not marry anyone else.

Naomi’s sons grew and they married women from the Moab tribe. Their names were Orpah and Ruth. Those young women lived with their husbands at Naomi’s house. But they had no children yet.

After ten years of staying in Moab, [Oh!] those young men died [also]. Thus, Naomi was alone! No husband! No sons! [Oh! OH!] But Orpah and Ruth stayed there with her.

One day, Naomi heard good news! (from a traveler)! that God had caused the crops to grow well near Naomi’s hometown [in Israel]. So, when the days [weather] began to warm well, she decided to return home to Israel.

Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, “Go back to your fathers’ house, so you can have [marry/get] new husbands.”

But those young women refused [they did not agree]. They said, “No! No! We want to go on with you to Israel your homeland! We will go with you!”

But Naomi commanded them again: “O my daughters! You go back to your old home! To go with me, it is not good! Look at me! I am old! I do not have sons inside me now who could marry you! Stay in your homeland.”

The three women wept together. Then Opra left Naomi and returned to her relatives [father’s house]. But Ruth clung to [held strongly to / stayed with] Naomi.

Naomi said to Ruth, “You, too, you should go back to your parents’ house, and worship Moab’s gods.”

Ruth responded, “No! Where you go I will go, and where you stay [live] I will stay [live]. Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. Nothing but death will part [separate] me from you.”

When Naomi saw that Ruth was committed [so attached] to her, she relented [accepted] and let Ruth go with her.

When Naomi and Ruth arrived in her town in Israel, everyone was glad and said, “Look! Naomi has come back!”

Naomi replied to the women, “Years ago, I went away from you happy, but I come back to you sad, because God has made me suffer.”

It was the barley [grain / food] harvest season [time] in Israel, when Naomi arrived there with Ruth.

Naomi and Ruth had no food. Thus, Ruth said to Naomi, “We need food. Please allow me to go for us to the fields [gardens] belonging to some generous man who will allow me to pick up [glean] the barley [grain/stalks/rice/food] that falls from the harvester’s bundles.”

Naomi said, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

So Ruth went out to a field [garden] to pick up [glean stalks of barley [grain / food] left behind [dropped] by hired harvesters.

Ruth was picking up [gleaning / gathering] fallen grain in a field [garden] belonging to [owned by] a man named Boaz. Boaz [Rahab’s son] was a relative of Naomi’s dead husband Elimelek.

Boaz noticed Ruth as she rested in the field [garden]. Boaz asked the [his] work boss, “Who is that?” The work boss replied, “That woman asked to pick barley stalks behind the hired workers. She worked all morning and has just now stopped to rest.”

Boaz went to Ruth and greeted her. “You should continue to pick [harvest / gather food] in my field [garden]. Stay close to the other women. I will not allow my hired men workers] to bother you, and when you get thirsty my workers will give you water.”

Ruth bowed down with her face touching the ground [to show respect]. She exclaimed, “Oh, Sir. I am a foreigner. Why should you be so merciful [kind] to me?”

Boaz answered, “People have told me about your kindness to Naomi. I know you left your home and came to live here among us who are strangers to you. May God reward you for what you have done.”

When the sun was high and the harvesters rested, Boaz said to Ruth, “Come and eat with us.” So Ruth sat with the workers and Boaz and ate food (bread and barley) until she was fully satisfied.

After Ruth went back to work/picking/gathering stalks, Boaz gave orders to his hired workers: “Let that woman gather all she needs. Also, from the barley that you have already gathered, put a few stalks on the ground for her to pick up.”

That evening when Ruth threshed [beat] the grains from the stalks that she had gathered, she had a big basket full [about ten kilograms or twenty-five pounds] of grain. She carried this to Naomi.Naomi was surprised and said, “You gathered and beat much barley [grain]! In whose field [garden] did you harvest?”

Ruth told Naomi, “Boaz is the owner [big boss] of the field [garden] where I gleaned [harvested].” Naomi was surprised and happy!

Naomi said, “May God reward [repay] him! That big boss Boaz is a close relative of my [dead] husband. Therefore, he is responsible to help widows (like us) in the family. So, you must continue to gather barley stalks in the field [garden] belonging to Boaz.”

So Ruth continued to work in Boaz’s field [garden] until all the barley and wheat [two crops] had been harvested.

Ruth and Naomi continued to eat, satisfied by the barley and wheat seeds [food] which Ruth gathered

At the end of the harvest season, Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, you need a husband, and Boaz is our family member, so he should take care of you.” So Naomi told Ruth what she must do, to let Boaz know what he should do.

When the sun began to go down, Ruth went to the place where Boaz was threshing [beating] his barley grain with his workers. She hid herself.

Boaz was feeling contented when he went to lie down to sleep near the big pile of barley grain [away from where his men were lying down].

When everyone was asleep, Ruth came near to Boaz. She removed the blanket from [to uncover] Boaz’s feet, and she lay down nearby.

About the middle of the night, Boaz woke up suddenly. Surprise! Someone was lying near his feet! A woman!He said, “Hey! Who are you?” [Who is there?]

“I am Ruth,” she replied, “Please, do your duty as a member of our family. Take care of me.”

Boaz replied, “Yes, I will fulfill my responsibility to our family. I will marry you, for you have not gone with young men. But there is another relative who is nearer to Naomi than am I, and he must choose first to marry you or not.”

Boaz then gave to Ruth more grain and sent her back to Naomi while it was still dark outside.

When the sun began to show, Boaz went to the place [in the town] for discussing disputes/problems. He waited there until his cousin passed by that place. Boaz called him, “Brother, come sit here [to talk about an important matter].”Then Boaz called some elders from the town as they passed by. They sat down (one by one).

Then Boaz said to his cousin, in front of everyone, “Naomi has come back to Israel from Moab. She is asking us relatives to buy [take rights to use] land that her dead husband [Elimelek] owned. You are a nearer relative than I am. So, if you want to buy the land, then say so now. But if you do not want to buy it, then tell all of us here, and I will buy the land.”

That man answered, “I will buy [use/take] the land.”

Then Boaz said, “I remind you that when you accept Elimelek’s [Naomi’s dead husband’s] land, you must do another obligation [family duty]: You must marry Ruth, the widow from Moab. And you must also have [beget] a son with her for Elimelek’s [and Naomi’s] dead son. Someday, that [Ruth’s] son will inherit [receive] Elimelek’s land.

When that man heard Boaz’ words, he said, “Since that is so, I will not buy [use/take] the land ! ”As that man was speaking, he took off his sandal [shoe] and gave it to Boaz to show that the agreement was valid. [This was a ritual custom in Israel in those days.]

Boaz said to the elders, “I buy my family’s land. And I will marry Ruth. Our [future] son will inherit the land. You are all witnesses to my words, this day.”

So Boaz married Ruth, the woman from Moab. God caused Boaz and Ruth to birth a son who grew up to become the grandfather of David, the great king over all Israel.King David was the ancestor for the One [whom] God has sent [appointed] to rescue all people everywhere.

In this way, God cared for, blessed and honored a woman from an foreign tribe who committed to loving and obeying him.