In an extraordinary "coincidence", Ruth goes to glean barley in the fields of Bethlehem, and happens to land in the field of Naomi's relative, Boaz. While the people harvesting barely take notice of this foreign Moabite girl and treat her as an outsider, Boaz recogizes her as a special person who has been through so much in order to join the people of Judah. Boaz asks her to stay in his field and instructs the young men to treat her with respect.