And at noon, when they sat down to rest and to eat, Boaz gave her some of the food.  And he said to the reapers: 

“When you are reaping, leave some of the sheaves for her; and drop out some sheaves from the bundles, where she may gather them.”

That evening, Ruth showed Naomi how much she had gleaned, and told her of the rich man Boaz, who had been so kind to her.  And Naomi said: 

“This man is a near relation of ours.  Stay in his fields, as long as the harvest lasts.”  And so Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz until the harvest had been gathered.

At the end of the harvest, Boaz held a feast on the threshing-floor.  And after the feast, by the advice of Naomi, Ruth went to him, and said to him: 

“You are a near relation of my husband and of his father, Elimelech.  Now will you not do good to us for his sake?”

And when Boaz saw Ruth, he loved her; and soon after this he took her as his wife.  And Naomi and Ruth went to live in his home; so that Naomi’s life was no more bitter, but pleasant.  And Boaz and Ruth had a son, whom they named Obed; and later Obed had a son named Jesse; and Jesse was the father of David, the shepherd boy who became king.  So Ruth, the young woman of Moab, who chose the people and the God of Israel, became the mother of kings.

THE STORY OF DAVID, THE SHEPHERD BOY

Living at Ramah, in the mountains of Ephraim, there was a man whose name was Elkanah.  He had two wives, as did many men in that time.  One of these wives had children, but the other wife, whose name was Hannah, had no child.

Every year Elkanah and his family went up to worship at the house of the Lord in Shiloh, which was about fifteen miles from his home.  And at one of these visits Hannah prayed to the Lord, saying: 

“O Lord, if thou wilt look upon me, and give me a son, he shall be given to the Lord as long as he lives.”

The Lord heard Hannah’s prayer, and gave her a little boy, and she called his name Samuel, which means “Asked of God”; because he had been given in answer to her prayer.

Samuel grew up to be a good man and a wise Judge, and he made his sons Judges in Israel, to help him in the care of the people.  But Samuel’s sons did not walk in his ways.  They did not try always to do justly.

The elders of all the tribes of Israel came to Samuel at his home in Ramah; and they said to him:  “You are growing old, and your sons do not rule as well as you ruled.  All the lands around us have kings.  Let us have a king also; and do you choose the king for us.”

This was not pleasing to Samuel.  He tried to make the people change their minds, and showed them what trouble a king would bring them.

But they would not follow his advice.  They said:  “No; we will have a king to reign over us.”

So Samuel chose as their king a tall young man named Saul, who was a farmer’s son of the tribe of Benjamin.  When Saul was brought before the people he stood head and shoulders above them all.  And Samuel said: