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sons in my womb that they might be husbands for you? Turn back, my daughters, for I am too old to have a husband. And I said: there is no substance for me to have a husband. And should I bear sons, would you wait for them until they were grown? Or would you be kept for them from having a husband? No, my daughters, for it has been very bitter for me on your account, for the hand of the Lord has gone out against me." "Neither," she says, "am I pregnant, that you should wait to be joined to those who would be born of me, nor is it possible for me to be married to a husband because of my old age; that you should await my marriage, and childbearing, and their upbringing. For I have received a blow sent from God. So then, on account of the Lord, the story of Ruth ought to have been written down; but nevertheless, the history itself, on its own, is also sufficient to offer every benefit to those who know how to profit from such things. For it teaches us both of Naomi’s grievous 314 misfortunes and her praiseworthy endurance, and the modesty of her daughters-in-law and their affection for their mother-in-law; and especially of Ruth, who preferred an aged and destitute woman to her own parents, on account of the piety of her mind and the memory of her husband. And it also taught us the virtue of Boaz. For not only did he generously share the harvest with Ruth, but he also encouraged her with words. "Do not go," he said, "daughter, to glean in another field; but stay here with my young women." And having ordered her to eat and drink with the reapers, he added: "It has been fully reported to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and went to a people whom you did not know yesterday or the day before. May the Lord repay you for your work, and may your reward be full from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." And the blessing has reached its fulfillment. For she received her reward in full from the Lord, having become an ancestor of the blessing of the nations. Not only did he share food with her, but he also became the agent of her care with his own hands; not ordering another to serve, but himself preparing the roasted grain and the bread, and offering it very generously, for having eaten her fill, she carried away what was left over to her mother-in-law. And the mother-in-law gratefully repaid the absent benefactor with blessings. For she said, "May he who took notice of you be blessed," because he has satisfied a hungry soul, just as he has done with whom he has done. "For he did not look," she says, "upon your poverty, but upon the lawgiver who ordained that all care be taken for widows." 315 II Some find fault with both Naomi and Ruth, with the one for suggesting it, and with the other for obeying and doing it, and for sleeping at the feet of Boaz. When Ruth heard her mother-in-law say, "The man is near to us, he is one of our kinsman-redeemers," she was reminded of his great kindness, and thought that Boaz, as a kinsman of her husband, was willing to be joined to her according to the law, so as to preserve the memory of the deceased. For this is what the following indicates. "For," it says, "Ruth said to her mother-in-law, 'And because he said, "Stay close by my young women until they have finished all my harvest."'" Having heard these words, Naomi suggests to her to sleep at the feet of Boaz, not so that she might prostitute her beauty; for the words of the suggestion indicate the contrary. "You will go," she says, "and uncover the place at his feet, and lie down, and he himself will tell you what you shall do." Thus she trusted in the man’s modesty and righteousness. And the deeds confirmed the words. For according to the instructions of her mother-in-law, when all were overcome with sleep, Ruth lay down at the feet of Boaz; and he asked who she was; and she reminded him of her kinship with the deceased. And he praised what had been done, but did not betray modesty, 316 but preserved the marital union for the law. "Blessed," he said, "are you by the Lord, daughter, for you have made your latter kindness better than the former, in that you did not go after

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υἱοὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ μου καὶ ἔσονται ὑμῖν εἰς ἄνδρας; ἀποστράφητε δὴ θυγατέρες μου, ὅτι γεγήρακα, τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἀνδρὶ καὶ εἶπον· οὐκ ἔστι μοι ὑπόστασις τοῦ γενέσθαι με ἀνδρί. καὶ τέξο μαι υἱούς, μὴ αὐτοὺς προσδέξεσθε ἕως οὗ ἀνδρυν θῶσιν; ἢ αὐτοῖς κατασχεθήσεσθε τοῦ μὴ γενέσ θαι ἀνδρί; μὴ δὴ θυγατέρες μου, ὅτι ἐπικράνθη μοι ὑπὲρ ὑμᾶς, ὅτι ἐξῆλθεν ἐν ἐμοὶ χεὶρ Κυρίου ". οὔτε, φησίν, ἐγκύμων εἰμὶ ἵνα τοῖς ὑπ' ἐμοῦ τεχθησομένοις ἀναμείνητε συναφθῆναι, οὔτε ἀνδρί με γήμασθαι δυνατὸν διὰ τὸ γῆρας· ἵνα προσ μένητέ μου τὸν γάμον, καὶ τὴν παιδοποιΐαν καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀναστροφήν. ἐγὼ γὰρ θεήλατον ἐδεξάμην πληγήν. ἔδει μὲν οὖν καὶ διὰ τὸν δεσπότην ἀνάγραπτον γενέσθαι τῆς Ῥοὺθ τὸ διήγημα· ἱκανὴ δὲ ὅμως καὶ αὐτὴ καθ' αὑτὴν ἡ ἱστορία πᾶσαν προσενεγκεῖν ὠφέλειαν τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα κερδαίνειν ἐπισταμένοις. διδάσκει γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τῆς Νοεμὶν τὰς χαλεπὰς 314 συμφορὰς καὶ τὴν ἐπαινετὴν καρτερίαν καὶ τῶν νυμφῶν τὴν σωφροσύνην καὶ τὴν περὶ τὴν πενθερὰν φιλοστοργίαν· καὶ διαφερόντως τῆς Ῥοὺθ ἣ γεγηρακυῖαν γυναῖκα καὶ πενομένην τῶν γεγεννηκότων προὐτίμησε διὰ τὴν τῆς γνώμης εὐσέβειαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ ὁμοζύγου μνήμην. ἐδίδαξε δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ Βοὸζ τὴν ἀρετήν. οὐ γὰρ μόνον φιλοτίμως τῇ Ῥοὺθ τοῦ καρποῦ μεταδέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγοις ἐψυχαγώγησε. " μὴ πορευ θῇς, γὰρ ἔφη, θύγατερ, ἐν ἀγρῷ ἑτέρῳ συλλέξαι· ἀλλ' ὧδε κολλήθητι μετὰ τῶν κορασίων μου ". κελεύσας δὲ αὐτῇ καὶ συνεσθίειν καὶ συμπίνειν τοῖς θερίζουσιν, ἐπήγαγεν· " ἀπαγγελίᾳ ἀπηγγέλη μοι, ὅσα πεποίηκας μετὰ τῆς πενθερᾶς σου, μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα σου καὶ πῶς κατέλιπες τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου καὶ τὴν γῆν τῆς γενέσεώς σου, καὶ ἐπορεύθης πρὸς λαόν, ὃν οὐκ ᾔδεις ἐχθὲς καὶ τρί της. ἀποτίσαι σοι Κύριος τὴν ἐργασίαν σου, καὶ γένοιτο ὁ μισθός σου πλήρης παρὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραήλ, πρὸς ὃν ἦλθες πεποιθέναι ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτοῦ ". καὶ τετύχηκεν ἡ εὐλογία τέλους. ἔλαβε γὰρ τὸν μισθὸν πλήρη παρὰ Κυρίου, πρόγονος γενομένη τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν εὐλο γίας. οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτῇ τροφῆς μεταδέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτουργὸς τῆς θεραπείας ἐγένετο· οὐκ ἄλλῳ διακονῆσαι προστάξας, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς κατασκευάσας τὰ ἄλφιτα καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους μάλα φιλοτίμως προσενεγκών, κορεσθεῖσα γὰρ ἀπήνεγκε τὸ περιττεῦσαν τῇ πενθερᾷ. εὐγνωμόνως δὲ καὶ ἡ κηδέστρια τὸν ἀπόντα εὐεργέτην ταῖς εὐλογίαις ἠμείψατο. ἔφη γάρ, " εἴη ὁ ἐπιγνούς σε εὐλογημένος ", ὅτι ἐχόρτασε ψυχὴν κενήν, καθὼς ἐποίησε μεθ' οὗ ἐποίησεν. οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὴν σήν, φησί, πενίαν ἀπέβλεψεν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν νομοθέτην ὃς διηγόρευσε πᾶσαν ποιεῖσθαι τῶν χηρῶν ἐπιμέλειαν. 315 II Ἐπιμέμφονταί τινες καὶ τῇ Νοεμὶν καὶ τῇ Ῥοὺθ τῇ μὲν ὡς ὑποθεμένῃ, τῇ δὲ ὡς ὑπακουσάσῃ τε καὶ πραξάσῃ, καὶ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας καθευδησάσῃ τοῦ Βοόζ. Ἀκούσασα ἡ Ῥοὺθ εἰρηκυίας τῆς πενθερᾶς, ὅτι " ἐγγίζει ἡμῖν ὁ ἀνήρ, ἐκ τῶν ἀγχιστευόντων ἡμῖν ἐστι ", τῆς πολλῆς ἀνεμνήσθη θεραπείας, καὶ ᾠήθη τὸν Βοὸζ ὡς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συγγενῆ συναφθῆναι αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἐθέλειν, ὥστε τοῦ τετελευτηκότος φυλάξαι τὴν μνήμην. τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς. " εἶπε, γάρ φησι, Ῥοὺθ πρὸς τὴν πενθερὰν αὐτῆς· καὶ ὅτι εἶπε, μετὰ τῶν κορασίων μου κολλήθητι, ἕως ἂν τελέσωσιν ὅλον τὸν ὑπάρχοντά μοι ". τούτων ἀκούσασα τῶν λόγων ἡ Νοεμίν, ὑποτίθεται αὐτῇ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας καθευδῆσαι τοῦ Βοόζ, οὐχ ἵνα τὴν ὥραν ἀποδῶται· τοὐναντίον γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ τῆς εἰσηγήσεως ῥήματα. " ἐλεύσῃ, γάρ φησι, καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις τὰ πρὸς ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπαγγελεῖ σοι ἃ ποιήσεις ". οὕτως ἐθάρρει τῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ. ἐβεβαίωσαν δὲ τοὺς λόγους αἱ πράξεις. κατὰ γὰρ τὰς ὑποθημοσύνας τῆς πενθερᾶς, πάντων ὕπνῳ κατεχομένων, προσεκλίθη παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Βοὸζ ἡ Ῥούθ· ὁ δὲ ἤρετο τίς εἴη· ἡ δὲ τῆς τοῦ τετελευτηκότος συγγενείας ἀνέμνησεν. ὁ δὲ τὸ μὲν πραχθὲν ἐπῄνεσε, τὴν δὲ σωφροσύνην οὐ προὔδωκεν, 316 ἀλλὰ τῷ νόμῳ τὴν γαμικὴν διετήρησεν ὁμιλίαν. " εὐλογημένη, γὰρ ἔφη, σὺ τῷ Κυρίῳ, θύγατερ, ὅτι ἠγάθυνας τὸν ἔλεόν σου τὸν ἔσχατον ὑπὲρ τὸν πρῶτον, τοῦ μὴ πορευθῆναί σε ὀπίσω