Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.'

56. Booz, the rich farmer.

Noemi and Ruth came safely to Bethlehem, and the report quickly spread in the city; and the women said: "This is Noemi.' But Noemi said: "I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me back empty: why call you me Noemi (which means "beautiful "), whom the Lord hath afflicted?" It was about the beginning of the barley harvest, and Ruth said to her mother-in-law: "If thou wilt, I will go into the field and glean the ears of corn that escape the hands of the reapers: wheresoever I shall find grace with a householder that will be favourable to me.' Noemi said: "Go, my daughter." She went therefore into the field to glean; and it happened that the owner of that field was Booz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. Booz himself came into the field from the city, and said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you:' " and they answered, "The Lord bless thee." Booz said to the young man who was set over the reapers: "Whose maid is this?" And he answered: "This is the Moabitess, who came with Noemi from the land of Moab. She hath desired leave to glean the ears of corn that remain, following the steps of the reapers: and she hath been in the field from morning till now, and hath not gone home for one moment." Booz now

came and spoke to Ruth, and said to her: "Hear me, daughter: do not go to glean in any other field, and do not depart from this place, but keep with my maids, and follow where they reap; for I have charged my

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young men not to molest thee." Ruth, in surprise, said: "Whence cometh this to me, that I should find grace before thine eyes, who am a woman of another country?" Booz answered: "All hath been told me

that thou hast done to thy mother-in-law after the death of thy husband, and how thou hast left thy parents, and the land wherein thou wast born, and art come to a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

The

Lord render unto thee for thy work, and mayest thou receive a full reward of the Lord God of Israel to whom thou art come, and under whose wings thou art fled." Booz thus shewed particular kindness to Ruth out of compassion to her being a stranger: he made her welcome to join with his own maids at their mealtime, and gave her a portion to take home to her mother. He even said to his reapers: "Let fall some of your handfuls on purpose, that she may gather them without shame; and let no man rebuke her when she gathereth them." Ruth thus was enabled to take. home to her mother-in-law gleanings which, when beaten out, made three bushels of barley.

Ruth now went out daily to glean in the fields of Booz with his maidens, and when the harvest was over, Booz said to her: "Blessed art thou of the Lord, my daughter, for thy good demeanour surpasses thy love to thy mother-in-law. All the people within the gates of my city know that thou art a virtuous woman. I do not deny myself to be near of kin, but there is another nearer than I: if he will take thee to wife by the right of kindred, all is well; but if he will not, I will, as the Lord liveth, undoubtedly take thee.'

Booz brought the matter before the next of kin, who answered: "I must yield up my right. Do thou make use of my privilege which I willingly forego.' There was at this time a custom in Israel between kinsmen, that if at any time one yielded his right to another, that the grant might be sure, the man put off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour; this was a testimony of cession of right in Israel. So Booz said

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245

to his kinsman, "Put off thy shoe." And immediately he took it off from his foot. And all the elders of the city bore witness that he took to wife Ruth the Moabitess, and they said: "The Lord make this woman

that cometh to thy house like Rachel and Lia who built up the house of Israel, that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrata, and may have a famous name in Bethlehem." Thus Noemi was comforted

in her old age; and when a son was born to Booz, who was Obed, the grandfather of David, Noemi took the child in her bosom and carried it, and became a nurse to it.

THE HISTORY OF SAMUEL.

About B.c. 1140.

§ 57. Anna's prayer.

THERE was a man of Mount Ephraim, of the tribe of Levi, Elkana by name, who had two wives, by name Anna and Phenenna. Phenenna had children, but Anna had none. When Elkana went up to the Tabernacle of the Lord in Silo to offer sacrifice, where the two sons of Eli, Ophni and Phineas, were priests, he gave to Phenenna and her children each their portions of the sacrifices: but to Anna he gave but one portion with sorrow, because he loved Anna.

Anna's grief at being childless became so great that she pined away, and refused to eat; and Elkana her husband tried in vain to console her. On one occasion of her going up with her husband to the Tabernacle at Silo, Anna had her heart so full of grief, that she prayed to the Lord, shedding many tears, and she made a vow, saying: "O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt look down on the affliction of Thy servant, and wilt be mindful of me, and not forget Thy hand-maid, and wilt give to Thy servant a man-child: I will give him to