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The Book of Ruth is a short book in the Hebrew Bible that is read on the festival of Shavuot. It tells the story of a Moabite woman named Ruth who becomes an ancestor of King David.
The book begins with a famine in the land of Judah, causing a man named Elimelech to leave with his wife Naomi and their two sons to live in Moab. While in Moab, Elimelech dies, and his two sons marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. But then, both of Naomi's sons also die, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law as widows.
Naomi decides to return to Judah and urges her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and find new husbands. Orpah agrees, but Ruth refuses to leave Naomi's side and insists on going with her to Judah.
Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem, where the people are surprised to see Naomi. She tells them to call her Mara (bitter) because she believes the Lord has dealt bitterly with her.
The story then tells of Ruth's dedication to her mother-in-law, as she goes out to glean in the fields in order to provide for them both (gleaning was a practice where poor people would gather the leftover grain in a field after the harvest was completed).
Ruth ends up in the fields of Boaz, who is a wealthy landowner and a relative of Naomi's late husband. Boaz notices Ruth and asks his workers about her. They tell him about her loyalty to Naomi and how hard she has been working in the fields.
Boaz approaches Ruth and tells her to stay in his fields where she will be safe, and he also instructs his workers to leave extra grain for her to collect. Boaz also invites Ruth to eat with his workers and gives her roasted grain to eat.
Naomi is pleased to hear about Ruth's encounter with Boaz and realizes that he is a potential husband for Ruth. She tells Ruth to continue gleaning in Boaz's fields, and Ruth obeys.
When Ruth returns home with an abundance of grain and shows her mother-in-law what she has gathered, Naomi blesses Boaz for his kindness and tells Ruth that he is a close relative who could potentially redeem them according to the law of Israel. According to the custom of the time, a woman could ask a close male relative to be her kinsman-redeemer, which meant that he would marry her and take responsibility for her and her deceased husband's family.
Naomi instructs Ruth to make herself presentable and approach Boaz while he is sleeping on the threshing floor. Ruth obeys Naomi's instructions and goes to Boaz in the middle of the night. She uncovers his feet and lies down, waiting for him to wake up. When Boaz awakes, he is surprised to see Ruth but commends her for her loyalty to Naomi.
Ruth then asks Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer, explaining that she is a relative of his and therefore eligible for him to redeem her. Boaz is pleased and promises to take care of Ruth and her family. However, there is another relative who is a closer relative to Naomi's deceased husband than Boaz, so he must first be given the opportunity to redeem Ruth before Boaz can.
Boaz tells Ruth to stay on the threshing floor until morning to avoid any potential scandal, and he gives her more grain to take home to Naomi. Ruth returns home, and Naomi is pleased with her progress, saying that Boaz will not rest until the matter is settled.
Indeed Boaz goes to the city gate to meet with the other relative who is the potential kinsman-redeemer. Boaz explains the situation to him and asks if he wants to redeem and marry Ruth. The other relative initially agrees but then changes his mind when he realizes that it will jeopardize his own inheritance. Boaz then publicly declares his intention to redeem Ruth and marry her. He acquires the property that belonged to Naomi's deceased husband and takes Ruth as his wife. The book ends with Ruth giving birth to a son named Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David, and by extension the House of David, which represents the royal dynasty within Judaism.
The Book of Ruth is a beautiful story of loyalty, kindness, and redemption. It shows how God can work through the lives of ordinary people to accomplish His purposes and reminds us that He is always faithful to His promises.