Verses 1-23

2:1-4:22 START OF A NEW LIFE IN ISRAEL

Ruth works in the field of Boaz (2:1-23)

Back in Israel it soon became clear that God was in control of affairs in the lives of the two widows. According to Israelite law, when a farmer reaped his harvest he was not to send his workers through the field a second time to pick up the odd stalks of grain that the reapers dropped. These were to be left for the poor, who would follow the reapers and glean what grain they could (Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19). Ruth therefore went gleaning, to gather food for Naomi and herself. Unknown to her, the field in which she happened to glean belonged to a relative of Naomi's late husband. The man's name was Boaz (2:1-7).

Boaz had heard of Ruth's kindness to Naomi and looked for ways to reward her. He gave her food and drink, protected her from the local youths, and made sure that the reapers deliberately left extra grain for her to pick up (8-16).

Through Boaz's kindness and her own hard work, Ruth took home more grain than she had hoped for. When Naomi heard her story, she knew that God was directing events. She told Ruth that the man who had been kind to her was a close relative of Naomi's late husband (17-20). Ruth continued to glean in Boaz's field for the rest of the harvest season (21-23).