Ruth 4
4
1 Then Boaz went up to the gate, and he sat there. And when he had seen the kinsman passing by, whom he had previously discussed, he spoke to him, calling him by his name, "Pause for a little while, and sit down here." He turned aside and sat down.
2 But Boaz, calling aside ten men among the elders of the city, said to them, "Sit down here."
3 They settled down, and he spoke to the kinsman, "Naomi, who has returned from the region of the Moabites, is selling part of a field of our brother Elimelech.
4 I wanted you to hear this, and to tell you in front of everyone sitting here, including the eldest of my people. If you will take possession of it by the right of kinship, buy it and possess it. But if it displeases you, you should reveal this to me, so that I will know what I have to do. For there is no near kinsman besides you, who is before me, and I am after you." But he answered, "I will buy the field."
5 And Boaz said to him, "When buying the field, you are likewise obliged to accept the hand of the woman Ruth, the Moabite, who was the wife of the deceased, so that you may raise up the name of your near kinsman through his posterity."
6 He answered, "I yield my right of kinship, for I am obliged not to cut off the posterity of my own family. You may make use of my privilege, which I freely declare I will forego."
7 Yet it was the custom between kinsmen in this former time in Israel, that if at anytime one yielded his right to another, so as to confirm his permission, the man took off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor. This was a testimony of concession in Israel.
8 And so Boaz said to his kinsman, "Take off your shoe." And immediately he released it from his foot.
9 And he said to the eldest and to all the people, "You are witnesses this day, that I have taken possession of all that belonged to Elimelech and Chilion and Mahlon, and was bequeathed to Naomi.
10 And Ruth, the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I have taken in marriage so as to raise up the name of the deceased in his posterity, so that his name will not be cut off from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing."
11 All the people who were at the gate, along with the eldest, answered, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who enters into your house, like Rachel, and Leah, who built up the house of Israel, so that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrathah, and so that her name may be honored in Bethlehem.
12 And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the offspring which the Lord will give to you from this young woman."
13 And so Boaz took Ruth, and received her as his wife, and he went in to her, and the Lord granted to her to conceive and bear a son.
14 And the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not permitted your family to be without a successor, and may his name be called upon in Israel.
15 And now you may have someone to comfort your soul and to care for you in old age, for he is born of your daughter-in-law, who loves you, and this is much better for you, than if you had seven sons."
16 And taking up the boy, Naomi placed him on her bosom, and she took on the duties of carrying him and nursing him.
17 And the women of the near future were congratulating her and saying, "There was a son born to Naomi. They called his name Obed. Here is the father of Jesse, the father of David."
18 These are the generations of Perez: Perez conceived Hezron,
19 Hezron conceived Aram, Aram conceived Amminadab,
20 Amminadab conceived Nahshon, Nahshon conceived Salmon,
21 Salmon conceived Boaz, Boaz conceived Obed,
22 Obed conceived Jesse, Jesse conceived David.
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Ruth 4
4
Boaz marries Ruth
1Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer#4:1 The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55); also in verses 3, 6, 8 and 14. he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, ‘Come over here, my friend, and sit down.’ So he went over and sat down.
2Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, ‘Sit here,’ and they did so. 3Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, ‘Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you#4:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts he will not, tell me, so I will know. For no-one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.’
‘I will redeem it,’ he said.
5Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the#4:5 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew (see also Septuagint) Naomi and from Ruth the Moabite, you acquire the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.’
6At this, the guardian-redeemer said, ‘Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.’
7(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalising transactions in Israel.)
8So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.
9Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his home town. Today you are witnesses!’
11Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’
Naomi gains a son
13So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14The women said to Naomi: ‘Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.’
16Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son!’ And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The genealogy of David
18This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,#4:20 A few Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 21 and Septuagint of 1 Chron. 2:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Salma
21Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.
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