Ruth 4
4
The Marriage of Ruth
1Then Boaz went up to the city gate [where business and legal matters were settled] and sat down, and then the close relative (redeemer) of whom Boaz had spoken came by. He said to him, “Come over here, #4:1 The Hebrew for this word is a little peculiar, in that it means something like “a certain one” or “so-and-so.” It is used when the name of the person addressed cannot or should not be mentioned for some reason. No ill will or insult is implied.friend, and sit down.” So he came and sat down. 2Then Boaz took ten men from the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” And they sat down. 3He said to the closest relative (redeemer), “Naomi, who has returned from the country of Moab, must sell the plot of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4So I thought to let you hear of it, saying, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, then tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I am [next of kin] after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5Then Boaz said, “The day that you buy the field from Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, to restore the name of the deceased to his inheritance.” 6The closest relative (redeemer) said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because [by marrying a Moabitess] I would #4:6 Lit damage. The excuse given was probably made up on the spot by this relative-redeemer to avoid the obligation of marrying Ruth and raising a son in her deceased husband’s name (see note 2:20). He may very well not have wanted to raise a son under such circumstances, or to be married to a Moabite woman.jeopardize my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption (purchase) yourself, because I cannot redeem it.” [Deut 23:3, 4]
7Now formerly in Israel this was the custom concerning redeeming and exchanging property. To confirm a transaction, a man pulled off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the way of confirming and attesting in Israel. 8So, when the closest relative (redeemer) said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he pulled off his sandal [and gave it to Boaz to confirm the agreement]. 9Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought everything that was Elimelech’s and everything that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s from the hand of Naomi. 10I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife to restore the name of the deceased to his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birthplace. You are witnesses today.” 11All the people at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel. May you achieve wealth and power in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12Further, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
13So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer (grandson, as heir) today, and may his name become famous in Israel. 15May he also be to you one who restores life and sustains your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Line of David Began Here
16Then Naomi took the child and placed him in her lap, and she became his nurse. 17The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son (grandson) has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed (worshiper). He is the father of Jesse, the father of David [the ancestor of Jesus Christ].
18Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, 19Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, 20Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 21Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, 22Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David [the king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus Christ].
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Ruth 4
4
Ruth and Boaz Get Married
1In the meanwhile, Boaz had gone to the meeting place at the town gate and was sitting there when the other close relative came by. So Boaz invited him to come over and sit down, and he did. 2Then Boaz got ten of the town leaders and also asked them to sit down. After they had sat down, 3he said to the man:
Naomi has come back from Moab and is selling the land that belonged to her husband Elimelech. 4I'm telling you about this, since you are his closest relative and have the right to buy the property. If you want it, you can buy it now. These ten men and the others standing here can be witnesses. But if you don't want the property, let me know, because I am next in line.
The man replied, “I'll buy it!”
5“If you do buy it from Naomi,” Boaz told him, “you must also marry Ruth. Then if you have a son by her, the property will stay in the family of Ruth's first husband.”
6The man answered, “If that's the case, I don't want to buy it! That would make problems with the property I already own.#4.6 property … own: This property would then have to be shared with Ruth and her children as well as with his own family. You may buy it yourself, because I cannot.”
7 #
Dt 25.9. To make a sale legal in those days, one person would take off a sandal and give it to the other. 8So after the man had agreed to let Boaz buy the property, he took off one of his sandals and handed it to Boaz.
9Boaz told the town leaders and everyone else:
All of you are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi the property that belonged to Elimelech and his two sons, Chilion and Mahlon. 10#Dt 25.5,6. You are also witnesses that I have agreed to marry Mahlon's widow Ruth, the Moabite woman. This will keep the property in his family's name, and he will be remembered in this town.
11 #
Gn 29.31. The town leaders and the others standing there said:
We are witnesses to this. And we pray that the Lord will give your wife many children, just as he did Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob. May you be a rich man in the tribe of Ephrath and an important man in Bethlehem. 12#Gn 38.27-30. May the children you have by this young woman make your family as famous as the family of Perez,#4.12 Perez: One of the sons of Judah; he was an ancestor of Boaz and of many others who lived in Bethlehem. the son of Tamar and Judah.
13Boaz married Ruth, and the Lord blessed her with a son. 14After his birth, the women said to Naomi:
Praise the Lord! Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel. 15He will#4.14,15 We pray that … famous … 15 He will: Or “We pray that the Lord will be praised everywhere in Israel. 15 Your grandson will.” make you happy and take care of you in your old age, because he is the son of your daughter-in-law. And she loves you more than seven sons of your own would love you.
16Naomi loved the boy and took good care of him. 17The neighborhood women named him Obed, but they called him “Naomi's Boy.”
When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David. 18-22Here is a list of the ancestors of David: Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Ram, Hezron, and Perez.
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