1

rest, mark the place where he lieth down, and go and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. 5 And Ruth said to her, All that thou hast ordered me I will do. 6 So she went up to the threshing floor, and did all that her mo7ther in law commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten, and

drunk, and his heart was cheered, he went and lay down at the side of a heap of corn. Then she went in softly and un#8 covered his feet. And in the middle of the night the man was

astonished, and troubled, for lo! a woman was lying at his 9 feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she said, I am Ruth thy handmaid; therefore spread thy skirt over thy handmaid, 10 for thou art a near kinsman. And Boaz said, Blessed art thou of the Lord God, my daughter; for thou hast shewn more kindness in this last act than in the former, in not going after 11 young men either poor or rich. Now therefore, my daughter, be not afraid, I will do for thee all thou hast said; for all the tribe 12 of my people know that thou art a virtuous woman. Now in

deed it is true that I am a near relation; but there is a rela13 tion nearer of kin than I. Tarry this night, and it shall be, in

the morning, that if he perform to thee the part of a kinsman, well: let him do so. But if he decline to perform to thee the part of a kinsman, I myself will do the kinsman's part for thee, 14 as the Lord liveth. Go to sleep till the morning. So she lay at

his feet till the morning, and arose before one could know another. And Boaz said, Let it not be known that a woman 15 came to the threshing floor. Then he said to her, Bring the sash which is girt about thee. So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her, and went to the city. 16 And Ruth went to her mother in law. And her mother in law 17 said to her, My daughter! And when Ruth had told her all

that the man had done to her; and said to her, He gave me al18 so these six measures of barley; for said he to me, Thou must not go empty to thy mother in law; she said, Sit still my daugh ter till thou know the issue of this matter; for the man will not rest till the affair is now brought to a conclusion.

IV.

And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. And behold when the kinsman of whom Boaz had spoken was passing by, Boaz said to him, Turn aside and sit down here thou 2 hidden man. So he turned aside, and sat down. Then Boaz

took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. 3 And when they had taken their seats, Boaz said to the kinsman, With respect to that portion of the field which belonged to our brother Elimelech, and which is given to Noemin, who is returned from the country of Moab, I have promised to open 4 thine ear, saying, Purchase it in the presence of these men who are sitting here, even in the presence of the elders of my people. If thou wilt do the kinsman's part, do it; but if thou wilt not perform the office of a kinsman, tell me, that I may know; for there is none besides thee to perform the office of a kinsman, except myself, who am next after thee. And he said, I 5 will do the kinsman's part. Then Boaz said, On the day thou purchasest the field of Noemin, thou must purchase it with Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name 6 of the dead on his inheritance. Thereupon the relation said, I cannot take upon me the office of a kinsman, lest I mar my own inheritance. Take thou upon thyself that office of a kinsman which is my right; for I cannot perform it. Now it was the custom heretofore in Israel, in regard to the transfer of the right of consanguinity, in order to give it validity, that the man loosed his sandal, and gave it to his neighbour, who took upon him his right of consanguinity, and this was the evidence 8 in Israel. So when the relation said to Boaz, Purchase thou for thyself, what by the law of consanguinity it was my right 9 to purchase, he loosed his sandal, and gave it to him. Thereupon Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, You are this day witnesses that I have purchased all that belonged to Elimelech, and all that belonged to Chelaion and Maalon, at 10 the hand of Noemin; and that I have purchased Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Maalon, to be a wife to myself, to raise the name of the deceased on his inheritance; that the name of the deceased may not be blotted out from among his brethren, and from the tribe of his people. You are this day wit11 nesses. And all the people who were in the gate said, We are witnesses. Then the elders said, The Lord make this thy wife who is coming to thy house, like Rachel and like Leia, who both built up the house of Israel, and laid the foundation of power in Ephratha, that there may be a name in Bethlehem : 12 And may thy house be like the house of Phares, whom Tha

up

mar bore to Juda, from the seed which the Lord will give thee from this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in unto her, and the Lord gave her con14 ception, and she bore a son. Whereupon the women said to Noemin, Blessed be the Lord who hath not left thee this day without a kinsman to make thy name famous in Israel. He shall be to thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age. For thy daughter in law, who loved thee, hath brought 16 forth a son. She is better to thee than seven sons. And Noe

18

I.

min took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became its nurse, and the neighbours gave it a name, saying, A son is born to Noemin, and called its name Obed. He was the father of Jessai, the father of David.

Now this is the genealogy of Phares. Phares begot Esrom, and Esrom begot Aram; and Aram begot Aminadab; and Aminadab, Naasson; and Naasson, Salmón; and Salmon, Boaz; and Boaz, Obed; and Obed, Jessai; and Jessai, David.

I. KINGS, OR I. SAMUEL.

There was a man of Armathaim-Sipha, of mount Ephraim, whose name was Elkana, son of Jeremeel, son of Eliu, son of 2 Thoke, at Nasib-Ephraim. And he had two wives. The name of the one was Anna, and the name of the other Phennana. 3 And Phennana had children; but Anna had not a child. And this man went up, year after year, out of his city-from Armathaim, to worship, and sacrifice to the Lord God of Sabbaoth, at Selom; for Eli and his two sons, Ophni and Phineas, 4 the priests of the Lord, were there. And his custom was, on

the day when Elkana had offered sacrifices, he gave portions 5 to his wife Phennana, and her children, and to Anna he gave one portion, because she had not a child. Nevertheless, Elkana loved Anna more than the other, though the Lord had shut 6 up her womb. But because the Lord had not given her a child, such was her affliction and anxiety on the account of this, that she became disconsolate, because the Lord had shut 7 up her womb, so as not to give her a child. Thus he acted, year after year, when he went up to the house of the Lord. And when she was become disconsolate, and was weeping,

8 and did not eat, Elkana her husband said to her, Anna! and she said to him, Here, my lord. And he said to her, What is the matter with thee, that thou weepest? And why dost thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than 9 ten sons? Thereupon Anna rose up, after they had eaten at Selom, and stood before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat at the door posts of the temple of the Lord. 10 And she being in bitterness of soul, prayed to the Lord, and 11 wept sore. And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Adonai, Lord, Eloe Sabbaoth! If thou wilt look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and give thy handmaid a man child, I will dedicate him before thee, as a gift to the day of his death; and he shall not drink wine, nor fermented li 12 quor, nor shall a razor come on his head. And while she was continuing her prayer before the Lord, Eli the priest observed 13 her mouth. When she spoke in her heart, her lips moved,

but her voice was not heard, so Eli thought that she was 14 drunk. Thereupon Eli's servant said to her, How long wilt thou be drunk? Take away thy wine, and depart from the pre15 sence of the Lord. And Anna answered, and said, No, my lord. I am a woman in deep affliction. I have not drunk wine nor strong drink; but am pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Count not thy handmaid a daughter of wickedness, because,

out of the abundance of my deep meditation, I have continued 17 till now. Then Eli in reply said to her, Go in peace. May

the God of Israel grant thee thy petition, which thou hast 18 asked of him. And she said, Thy servant hath found favour in thy sight. Then the woman went away, and when she came to her lodging, she ate and drank with her husband, and 19 her countenance was no more dejected. And they arose early in the morning, and worshipped the Lord, and set out on their journey. And when Elkana came to his house at Armathaim, he knew his wife Anna; and the Lord remembered her, and 20 she conceived, and at the appointed time bore a son, and call

ed his name Samuel, because, said she, I asked him of the 21 Lord God of Sabbaoth. And when the man Elkana went up,

with his household, to offer at Selom his annual sacrifice, and his vows, and all the tythes of his land, Anna did not go up 22 with him; for she said to her husband, Not till the boy can go

up, after I have weaned him, that he may appear before the 23 Lord, and abide there continually. And Elkana her husband

said to her, Do what seemeth good in thine eyes. Stay till thou hast weaned him. And may the Lord establish what hath pro24 ceeded from thy mouth. So the woman staid at home, and suckled the child. And when she had weaned him, she went up with her husband to Selom, with a bull of three years old, and bread, and an epha of fine flour, and a nebal of wine, and came to the house of the Lord at Selom, and the boy with 25 them. And when they had presented him before the Lord, and his father had slain the victim, which he offered yearly to the Lord, he presented the boy, and slew the bull, and Anna, the mother of the child, presented him before Eli, and said, 26 Attend to me, my lord! As thy soul liveth, I am the woman

who stood in thy presence with thee when I prayed to the 27 Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath granted me the petition which I asked of him; therefore I dedicate him to 28 the Lord, all the days of his life, as a loan to the Lord. Then she said,

II.

2

3

My heart was strengthened by the Lord;
By my God, my horn was exalted;

Over my

enemies my mouth was enlarged;

I was made glad by thy salvation.

Because there is none holy like the Lord,
And none is righteous like our God,

There is none holy besides thee.

Boast not, nor speak haughtily,

Let not arrogance proceed from your mouth.
Because the Lord is a God of all knowledge-

A God who prepareth his own designs;

4

The bow of the mighty he hath made weak,

5

And the weak have girded themselves with strength:

They who were full of bread have been brought low;
And they who were hungry have reached land.

6

For she who was barren hath born seven children;

And she who abounded in children hath been made weak.
The Lord killeth, and giveth life;

He bringeth down to the grave, and raiseth up.

7

The Lord impoverisheth, and maketh rich;