¹ Y aconteció después de la muerte de Moisés siervo del SEÑOR, que El SEÑOR habló a Josué hijo de Nun, criado de Moisés, diciendo:

² Mi siervo Moisés ha muerto; levántate pues ahora, y pasa este Jordán, tú y todo este pueblo, a la tierra que yo les doy a los hijos de Israel.

³ Yo os he entregado, como lo había dicho a Moisés, todo lugar que pisare la planta de vuestro pie.

⁴ Desde el desierto y este Líbano hasta el gran río Eufrates, toda la tierra de los heteos hasta el gran mar del poniente del sol, será vuestro término.

⁵ Nadie te podrá hacer frente en todos los días de tu vida; como yo fui con Moisés, seré contigo; no te dejaré, ni te desampararé.

⁶ Esfuérzate y sé valiente; porque tú harás heredar a este pueblo la tierra por herencia, de la cual juré a sus padres que la daría a ellos.

⁷ Solamente te esfuerces, y seas muy valiente, para que guardes y hagas conforme a toda mi ley, que Moisés, mi siervo, te mandó; que no te apartes de ella ni a diestra ni a siniestra, para que seas prosperado en todas las cosas que emprendieres.

⁸ El libro de esta ley nunca se apartará de tu boca; antes de día y de noche meditarás en él, para que guardes y hagas conforme a todo lo que en él está escrito; porque entonces harás prosperar tu camino, y entonces todo lo entenderás.

⁹ Mira que te mando que te esfuerces, y seas valiente; no temas ni desmayes, porque yo el SEÑOR tu Dios soy contigo en donde quiera que fueres.

¹⁰ Y Josué mandó a los oficiales del pueblo, diciendo:

¹¹ Pasad por en medio del campamento, y mandad al pueblo, diciendo: Preveníos de comida; porque dentro de tres días pasaréis el Jordán, para que entréis a heredar la tierra que el SEÑOR vuestro Dios os da para que la heredéis.

¹² También habló Josué a los rubenitas y gaditas, y a la media tribu de Manasés, diciendo:

¹³ Acordaos de la palabra que Moisés, siervo del SEÑOR, os mandó diciendo: El SEÑOR vuestro Dios os ha dado reposo, y os ha dado esta tierra.

¹⁴ Vuestras mujeres y vuestros niños y vuestras bestias, quedarán en la tierra que Moisés os ha dado de este lado del Jordán; mas vosotros, todos los valientes de proeza, pasaréis armados delante de vuestros hermanos, y les ayudaréis;

¹⁵ hasta tanto que el SEÑOR haya dado reposo a vuestros hermanos como a vosotros, y que ellos también hereden la tierra que el SEÑOR vuestro Dios les da; y después volveréis vosotros a la tierra de vuestra herencia, y la heredaréis; la cual Moisés, siervo del SEÑOR, os ha dado, de este lado del Jordán hacia donde nace el sol.

¹⁶ Entonces ellos respondieron a Josué, diciendo: Nosotros haremos todas las cosas que nos has mandado, e iremos adonde quiera que nos enviares.

¹⁷ De la manera que escuchábamos a Moisés en todas las cosas, así te escucharemos a ti; solamente el SEÑOR tu Dios esté contigo, como estuvo con Moisés.

¹⁸ Cualquiera que fuere rebelde a tu mandamiento, y que no oyere tus palabras en todas las cosas que le mandares, que muera; solamente que te esfuerces, y seas valiente.

¹ Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

² 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."

³ 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.

⁴ Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, "Yahweh be with you." They answered him, "Yahweh bless you."

⁵ Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, "Whose young lady is this?"

⁶ 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.

⁷ 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."

⁸ 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.

⁹ 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."

¹⁰ 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?"

¹¹ 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.

¹² 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."

¹³ 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."

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹⁶ Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and don't rebuke her."

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ 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."

²⁰ 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."

²¹ Ruth the Moabitess said, "Yes, he said to me, 'You shall stay close to my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.'"

²² 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."

²³ 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.