Ruth 1

¹ Therfor sche yede out of the place of hir pilgrymage with euer either wijf of hir sones; and now sche was set in the weie of turnyng ayen in to the lond of Juda, ² and sche seide to hem, Go ye in to the hows of youre modir; the Lord do mercy with you, as ye diden with the deed men, and with me; 3 the Lord yyue to you to fynde reste in the howsis of hosebondis, whiche ye schulen take. And sche kiste hem. Whiche bigunnen to wepe with vois reisid, ⁴ and to seie, We schulen go with thee to thi puple. ⁵ To whiche sche answeride, My douytris, turne ye ayen, whi comen ye with me? Y haue no more sones in my wombe, that ye moun hope hosebondis of me; my douytris of Moab, turne ye ayen, and go; ⁶ for now Y am maad eeld, and Y am not able to boond of mariage; yhe, thouy Y myyte conseyue in this nyyt, ⁷ and bere sones, if ye wolen abide til thei wexen, and fillen the yeris of mariage, ye schulen sunner be eld wymmen than ye schulen be weddid; I biseche, nyle ye, my douytris, for youre angwische oppressith me more, and the hond of the Lord yede out ayens me. ⁸ Therfor, whanne the vois was reisid, eft thei bigunnen to wepe. Orpha kisside the modir of hir hosebonde, and turnede ayen, and Ruth cleuyde to the modir of hir hosebonde. 9 To whom Noemy seide, Lo! thi kyneswomman turnede ayen to hir puple, and to hir goddis; go thou with hir. 10 And sche answeride, Be thou not aduersarye to me, that Y forsake thee, and go awei; whidur euer thou schalt go, Y schal go, and where thou schalt dwelle, and Y schal dwelle togidere; thi puple is my puple, and thi God is my God; ¹¹ what lond schal resseyue thee diynge, Y schal die ther ynne, and there Y schal take place of biriyng; God do to me these thingis, and adde these thingis, if deeth aloone schal not departe me and thee. ¹² Therfor Noemy siy, that Ruth hadde demyde with stidefast soule to go with hir, and sche nolde be ayens hir, nether counseile ferthere turnynge ayen to her cuntrei men. 13 And thei yeden forth togidere, and camen in to Bethleem; and whanne thei entriden in to the citee, swift fame roos anentis alle men, and wymmen seiden, This is thilke Noemy. 14 To whiche sche seide, Clepe ye not me Noemy, that is, fair, but clepe ye me Mara, that is, bittere; for Almyyti God hath fillid me greetli with bitternesse. ¹⁵ Y yede out ful, and the Lord ledde me ayen voide; whi therfor clepen ye me Noemy, whom the Lord hath maad low, and Almyyti God hath turmentid? 16 Therfor Noemy cam with Ruth of Moab, the wijf of hir sone, fro the lond of hir pilgrimage, and turnede ayen in to Bethleem, whanne barli was ropun first. ¹⁸ Forsothe a myyti man and a man of grete richessis, Booz bi name, was kynysman of Elymelech. 19 And Ruth of Moab seide to hir modir in lawe, If thou comaundist, Y schal go in to the feeld, and Y schal gadere eeris of corn that fleen the hondis of reperis, where euer Y schal fynde grace of an hosebonde man merciful in me. To whom sche answeride, Go, my douyter. 20 Therfor sche yede, and gaderide eeris of corn after the backis of reperis. Forsothe it bifelde, that `thilke feeld hadde a lord, Booz bi name, that was of the kynrede of Elymelech. ²¹ And lo! he cam fro Bethleem. And he seide to the reperis, The Lord be with you. Whiche answeriden to hym, The Lord blesse thee. ²² And Booz seide to the yong man that was souereyn to the reperis, Who is this damysel?