Paragraph 3:16–18
This paragraph tells what happened when Ruth went back to Naomi. Ruth told her what had happened and about the barley. Naomi told her to wait for Boaz to act.
In this paragraph, the author does not give the names of the people involved, but uses pronouns. Some names have been included in many English versions as implied information from the context. In your translation, you may also need to name the individuals so that your readers can better understand the story.
3:16a
When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her: This clause tells what Ruth did while Boaz was going to town.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked (NET Bible)
-or-
When Ruth returned home to Naomi, Naomi asked her (Easy English Bible)
-or-
Ruth went to the home of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi went to the door and asked (English Easy-to-Read Version)
How did it go, my daughter?: The Hebrew question that the Berean Standard Bible translates as How did it go, my daughter? is more literally “Who are you, my daughter?” In this context, it means that Naomi wanted to know what happened when Ruth met with Boaz.
Here are some other ways to translate this question:
How did things go with you, daughter? (New Jerusalem Bible)
What happened, my daughter? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Did you have success, my daughter?
In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this question as an indirect quotation. For example:
Naomi asked her what had happened (Contemporary English Version)
3:16b
Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as all that Boaz had done for her refers to his promises to talk to the closer relative and marry her if that relative would not do it. It also refers to the gift of barley. Because the barley is mentioned in 3:17, you might want to make the promises explicit here. For example:
Then Ruth told her all that Boaz ⌊promised⌋ to do for her
-or-
And Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz ⌊said⌋ to her
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