The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Ruth sleepeth at Booz feete, and is knowen his kynswoman.

CAPI. III.

THen Naomi her mother in lawe sayde vnto her: my doughter, shall I not seke [unspec A] rest for the, that thou mayst prosper? And is not Booz our kynsman, with whose maydens thou wast? Beholde, he wyndo•••••• barley to nyght in the threshyng flore: washe thy selfe therfore, and anoynte the, & put thy rayment vpon the, and get the downe to the barne. But let no man knowe of the, vutyl ••e haue lefte eatynge and drynkynge. And whē he gothe to slepe, marke the place where he layeth hym downe, and then go and lyfte vp the clothes, that are on his feete, and lay the downe there, and so shal he tel the what thou shalte do. And she answered her▪ all that thou byddest me, I wyl do.

And so she wente downe vnto the barne, [unspec B] and dyd accordyng to all that her mother in lawe bad her. And when Booz had eaten and dronken, and made hym merye, & was gone in, to lye downe besyde the heape of corne, she came softely, and lyfte vp the clothes of his fete, and layde her downe. And at mydnyght the man was afrayde and groped.

And beholde: a woman lay at his feete. And he sayde: what arte thou▪ she answered: I am Ruth thyne handmayde, spreade thy wynge ouer thyne handmayde, for thou arte the nexte of the hynne. He sayde: blessed be thou in the Lorde my doughter, for thou hast shewed moore goodnesse in the latter ende, then at the begynnynge, in as moche as thou folowedst not yonge men, whyther they were poore or ryche.

And nowe my doughter feare not, I wyl do to the all that thou requyrest, for all the [unspec C] Citye of my people dothe knowe, that thou arte a woman of vertue. And it is true that I am of thy nexte kynne: howe be it, there is one nygher then I.

Tary this nyght, and when mornynge is come, yf he wyll marry the, it is good, so let hym do But and yf he wyll not haue the, as sure as the lorde lyueth I wyll haue the: lye styll vntyll the mornynge. And so she laye at his feete vntyl the mornynge. And she arose vp before one coulde knowe another. And he sayde: let no man knowe, that there came any woman in to the barne.

And he sayd agayne: brynge thy mantell [unspec D] that thou hast vpon the, and holde it vp. And when she helde it vp, he met in syxe measures of barley, and layde it on her. And she gat her into the citye: and when she came in, to her mother in lawe, she sayde: howe is it with the my doughter? And she tolde her all that the man had done to her. And sayd also: these. vi. measures of barley gaue he me, and sayde: thou shalte not come emptye vnto thy mo∣ther in lawe. Then sayde she: my doughter, syt styll, vntyll thou knowe howe the matter wyll chaunce. For the man wyll not be in rest vntyll he haue fynysshed the thynge this same daye.