Ruth 3

Matthew^{(i) 1} Then Noemi her mother in law sayd vnto her: my doughter I wil seke reast for the, that thou maieste be in better case. ² For now this Booz oure kynsman with whose maydens thou waste, wenoweth his barley to nyght in the thresshinge floure, ³ washe thy selfe therfore & anoynte the, & put thy rayment vpon the, and get the to the tresshinge floure. But let not the man beware of the, vntil he haue left eatyng and drinckyng. ⁴ And when he goeth to slepe, marcke the place where he layeth him doune, and then go and lyfte vp the clothes that are on his fete, and laye the doune, and so shall he tell the what thou shalt do. ⁵ And she answered her: al that thou byddest me I wyl do. ⁶ And she went vnto the floure, and dyd accordynge to al that her mother in lawe bade her. ⁷ And when Booz had eaten and droncken, and made hym merye, he went and lay doune by the syde of the heape. And she came softlye, and lyfte vp the clothes of hys fete, and layde her doune. ⁸ And at mydnyght the man was afrayd and groped. And beholde, a woman laye at his fete. ⁹ Then he sayde: what art thou? and she answered, I am Ruth thyne handmayde, sprede thy mantell ouer thyne handmayde, for thou art the next of the kynne. ¹⁰ And then he sayde: blessed be thou in the Lorde my doughter, for thou haste shewed more goodnesse in the later end, then at the beginning, in as much as thou folowedeste not young men, whether they were poore or riche. ¹¹ And now my doughter, feare not, I wyl do to the al that thou requireste, for al the gates of my people knowe that thou art a woman of vertue. ¹² And is true that I am of thy nexte kynne: how be it, there is one nyer then I. ¹³ Tary al nyght. And when mornynge is come yf he wyll marye the: it is good, so let hym do. But and yf he wyl not haue the as sure as the Lord liueth, I wil haue the, lye still vntyll the morning. And so she laye at his fete vntil the morninge. ¹⁴ And she arose vp before one could knowe another. And he said: let no man beware, that there came any woman into the thresshing floure. ¹⁵ And he sayd: bring thy mantel that thou hast vpon the & behold it vp. And she helde it vp. And he mette in syxe measures of Barleye and laied it on her. And she gat her into the cytye: ¹⁶ & she came into her mother in lawe, which sayde: what tidinges my doughter? And she tolde her all that the man had done to her. ¹⁷ And saide therto, these syxe measures of barlye gaue he me and sayde: thou shalt not go emptye vnto thy mother in law. ¹⁸ Then sayde she: my doughter syt still, vntyll thou knowe howe the matter wyll chaunse. For the man wil not be in reast vntil he haue fynished the matter this same daye.