Ruth 4

¹ Boaz, meanwhile, had gone up to the gate and sat down, and the relative of whom he had spoken thencame by. Boaz said to him, 'Here, my friend, come and sit down'; the man came and sat down.

² Boaz then picked out ten of the town's elders and said, 'Sit down here'; they sat down.

³ Boaz then said to the man who had the right of redemption, 'Naomi, who has come back from the Plainsof Moab, is sel ing the piece of land that belonged to our brother, Elimelech.

⁴ I thought I should tel you about this and say, "Acquire it in the presence of the men who are sitting hereand in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to use your right of redemption, redeem it; if you donot, tel me so that I know, for I am the only person to redeem it besides yourself, and I myself come after you." 'The man said, 'I am wil ing to redeem it.'

⁵ Boaz then said, 'The day you acquire the field from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, thewife of the man who has died, to perpetuate the dead man's name in his inheritance.'

⁶ The man with the right of redemption then said, 'I cannot use my right of redemption withoutjeopardising my own inheritance. Since I cannot use my right of redemption, exercise the right yourself.'

⁷ Now, in former times, it was the custom in Israel to confirm a transaction in matters of redemption orinheritance by one of the parties taking off his sandal and giving it to the other. This was how agreements wereratified in Israel.

⁸ So, when the man with the right of redemption said to Boaz, 'Acquire it for yourself,' he took off hissandal.

⁹ Boaz then said to the elders and al the people there, 'Today you are witnesses that from Naomi Iacquire everything that used to belong to Elimelech, and everything that used to belong to Mahlon and Chilion

¹⁰ and that I am also acquiring Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, to be my wife, to perpetuate thedead man's name in his inheritance, so that the dead man's name will not be lost among his brothers and at thegate of his town. Today you are witnesses to this.'

¹¹ All the people at the gate said, 'We are witnesses'; and the elders said, 'May Yahweh make the womanabout to enter your family like Rachel and Leah who together built up the House of Israel. Grow mighty inEphrathah, be renowned in Bethlehem!

¹² And through the children Yahweh wil give you by this young woman, may your family be like the familyof Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.'

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when they came together, Yahweh made herconceive and she bore a son.

¹⁴ And the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be Yahweh who has not left you today without anyone toredeem you. May his name be praised in Israel!

¹⁵ The child wil be a comfort to you and the prop of your old age, for he has been born to the daughter-in-law who loves you and is more to you than seven sons.'

¹⁶ And Naomi, taking the child, held him to her breast; and she it was who looked after him.

¹⁷ And the women of the neighbourhood gave him a name. 'A son', they said, 'has been born to Naomi,'and they cal ed him Obed. This was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ These are the descendants of Perez. Perez fathered Hezron,

¹⁹ Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,

²⁰ Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,

²¹ Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,

²² Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.'