Ruth is gleaning very successfully in the barley fields of a prominent, 40-year-old Bethlehem landowner named Boaz, who takes one look at this unknown but fetching shiksa and is completely smitten. That’s when mother-in-law Naomi swoops in to secure widowed, childless Ruth’s future. She’s like Fidelity or Charles Schwab: “Think about your future, honey! Let’s plan ahead.”
And you won’t believe what happens next. Naomi, this pious, observant, God-fearing Jew, tells her Gentile daughter-in-law, “This is what we’re going to do: break out your smokiest eyeshadow and your reddest lipstick and your slinkiest skirt, and a come-hither tank top, and go back to Boaz’s place.” That’s not an exact translation, but it is very, very close.