Ruth 3

¹ And whanne Booz hadde ete and drunke, and was maad gladere, and hadde go to slepe bisidis the heep of handfuls, sche cam, and hidde hir silf; and whanne the cloth was vnhilid fro hise feet, sche castide doun hir silf. ² And lo! now at mydnyyt the man dredde, and was troblid; and he siy a womman lyggynge at hise feet; 3 and he seide to hir, Who art thou? Sche answeride, Y am Ruth, thin handmayde; stretche forth thi cloth on thi seruauntesse, for thou art nyy of kyn. 4 And he seide, Douytir, thou art blessid of the Lord, and thou hast ouercome the formere mercy with the lattere; for thou suedist not yonge men, pore ethir riche. ⁵ Therfor nyle thou drede, but what euer thing thou schalt seie to me, Y schal do to thee; for al the puple that dwellith with ynne the yatis of my cytee woot, that thou art a womman of vertu. 6 And Y forsake not, that Y am of nyy kyn, but another man is neer than Y; 7 reste thou in this nyyt, and whanne the morewtid is maad, if he wole holde thee bi riyt of nyy kyn, the thing is wel doon; forsothe if he nyle, Y schal take thee with outen ony doute, the Lord lyueth, that is, bi the Lord lyuynge; slepe thou til the morewtid. ⁸ Therfore sche slepte at hise feet til to the goyng awey of nyyt, and so sche roos bifor that men knewen hem silf togidere. And Booz seide to hir, Be thou war lest ony man knowe, that thou camest hidir. ⁹ And eft he seide, Stretche forth thi mentil with which thou art hilid, and holde thou with euer either hond. And while sche stretchide forth and helde, he mete sixe buyschels of barly, and puttide on hir; and sche bar, and entride in to the citee, 10 and cam to hir modir in lawe. Which seide to Ruth, What hast thou do, douyter? And Ruth telde to hir alle thingis, whyche the man hadde do to hir. ¹¹ And Ruth seide, Lo! he yaf to me sixe buyschels of barly; and he seide, Y nyle that thou turne ayen voide to thi modir in lawe. ¹² And Noemy seide, Abide, douytir, til we sien what issu the thing schal haue; for the man schal not ceesse, no but he fille tho thingis whiche he spak. ¹⁴ Therfor Booz stiede to the yate, and sat there; and whanne he hadde seyn the kynesman passe forth, of whom the word was had, Booz seide to hym, Bowe thou a litil, and sitte here; and he clepide hym bi his name. And he turnede, and sat. ¹⁵ Forsothe Booz took ten men of the eldere men of the citee, and seide to hem, Sitte ye here. 16 And while thei saten, Booz spak to the kynesman, Noemy, that turnede ayen fro the cuntrey of Moab, seelde the part of the feeld of oure brother Elymelech, 17 which thing Y wolde that thou here; and Y wolde seie to thee bifor alle men syttynge and grettere in birthe of my puple. If thou wolt haue in possessioun the feeld bi riyt of nyy kyn, bye thou, and haue thou in possessioun; sotheli if it displesith thee, schewe thou this same thing to me, that Y wyte what Y owe to do; for noon is niy in kyn, outakun thee which art the formere, and outakun me which am the secunde. And he answeride, Y schal bie the feeld. ¹⁸ To whom Booz seide, Whanne thou hast bouyte the feeld of the hond of the womman, thou owist to take also Ruth of Moab, that was the wijf of the deed man, that thou reise the name of thi kynesman in his eritage.