God the Refuge of the Righteous

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, ^(A)“Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ Also he said, “Bring the ^[a]shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then ^[b]she went into the city.

¹⁶ When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, ^[c]“Is that you, my daughter?”

Then she told her all that the man had done for her. ¹⁷ And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”

¹⁸ Then she said, ^(B)“Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, ^(C)the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, ^[d]friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of ^(D)the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land ^(E)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ And I thought to ^[e]inform you, saying, ^(F)‘Buy it back ^(G)in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if ^[f]you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; ^(H)for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ”

And he said, “I will redeem it.”

⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, ^(I)to ^[g]perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

^6 (J)And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

⁹ Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, ¹⁰ well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.

¹¹ But ^[a]refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, ¹² having condemnation because they have cast off their first ^[b]faith. ¹³ And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. ¹⁴ Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. ¹⁵ For some have already turned aside after Satan. ¹⁶ If any believing ^[c]man or woman has widows, let them ^[d]relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows.