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THROUGH
the Judges, God saved His people and kept His religion alive among them. At
that time there was a famine in Palestine. A man of Judah, called Elimelech,
went with his wife, Naomi, into Moab to live. Soon after, this man took sick
and died. There his two sons married Moabite women, whose names were Orpah
and Ruth
 The two sons also died.
Naomi was left alone with her two daughters-in-law. Hearing that there
was food again at home, Naomi decided to return to Judah, her own country.
Orpah went back to her people in Moab. But Ruth was devoted to Naomi and
said: "Where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay; your people
shall be my people,
 and your God, my God."
Ruth and Naomi returned to Judah and settled down at Bethlehem. They
were very poor. At the time of the barley harvest Ruth went to the field of
a man named Boaz to gather the grain left over by the harvesters. Only in
this way could she and Naomi have food.
When Boaz heard about her, he arranged that she would find more grain
than usual. He soon fell in love with the young widow.
Boaz was a relative of Ruth's husband. At that time there was a law of
the Israelites by which the nearest relative
 of a man that died without
having children should marry the widow. In this way Boaz took Ruth as his
wife.
Their son, Obed, was the grandfather of David. Ruth was, therefore, a
mother in the family from which our Savior was born. In this way God
rewarded the devotion of Ruth.
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