Naomi was the wife of a Jew named Elimelech, who left his own city of Bethlehem to go into the land of Moab, because there was a famine in Canaan.  Some time afterwards he died, leaving Naomi a widow with two sons, all dwellers in a strange land.  Her sons married two young women belonging to Moab, whose names were Orpah and Ruth.  After living there about ten years Naomi’s sons died also, leaving Orpah and Ruth widows, along with their widowed mother-in-law.  Then Naomi determined to return to her own land.  Orpah and Ruth accompanied Naomi some distance on her journey; then she bade them to leave her, telling each to go back to her mother’s house in Moab, while she would pursue her way alone to the land of Judah.  They were unwilling to do so, saying they would go with her to her land and people; but she urged them to depart, assuring them that they would gain nothing by leaving their own country to accompany her, and that they had better return to their own homes.  Then the story informs us—­you will find it in the Bible, in the Book of Ruth—­that Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and departed; but Ruth clave unto her, saying, “Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:  the Lord do so to me and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

So Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law, and journeyed with her until they reached Canaan.  Then they both dwelt in the city of Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, where we shall meet with them again.

[Illustration:  Ruth and Naomi.]

BOAZ AND RUTH.

When Naomi returned to Bethlehem she was poor.  The poor were allowed at harvest time to follow the reapers; gleaning or gathering up the stray ears of corn.  One day, Ruth obtained permission from her mother-in-law to go gleaning, and went to glean in the field of a rich man named Boaz, who happened to be a kinsman, or relative of Elimelech.  But Ruth did not know of this relationship.

Boaz saw Ruth gleaning, and asked one of his servants who she was.  The servant replied, “It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.”  Then Boaz spoke kindly to Ruth, telling her not to go to any other field to glean, but to stay with his maidens and glean in his field.  She fell on her face before him and bowed herself to the ground, and asked, “Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” Boaz was pleased with her because of her kindness to Naomi, so he replied, “It hath fully been showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband.”  He also bade her to eat and drink with his servants, and told his reapers to let some handfuls of grain fall on purpose for her.  So Ruth gleaned that day quite a large quantity of barley, which she took home to Naomi.  Then she learned that Boaz was her kinsman.