波阿斯娶路得

波阿斯来到城门口,坐在那里,恰巧看见他所说的那位至亲经过,便招呼他说:“某人啊,请过来坐一坐。”那人便走过来坐下。 波阿斯又邀请了城里的十位长老,对他们说:“请过来坐一坐。”他们都坐下以后, 波阿斯便对那位至亲说:“拿俄米从摩押回来了,现在要卖我们族兄以利米勒的那块地, 我想应该让你知道这件事。你最有权赎那块地,其次才是我,此外再没有别人了。如果你愿意赎回那块地,希望你当着在座各位长老的面表明。如果不愿意,请你让我知道。”那人说:“我愿意赎。” 波阿斯说:“那么,你从拿俄米手中买地的那天,也要娶已死之人的妻子摩押女子路得,好让死者继续在产业上留名。” 那位至亲说:“那我就不能赎了,免得损害到我的产业。你来赎吧,我不能赎。”

从前在以色列,买赎或交易有这样的规矩:一旦成交,一方要把鞋脱下来交给另一方,以色列人以此为成交的凭据。 那位至亲对波阿斯说:“你自己买吧!”他就把鞋子脱了下来。 波阿斯向长老和所有在场的人说:“请各位今天为我作证,所有属于以利米勒、基连和玛伦的产业,我都从拿俄米手上买了。 10 同时,我要娶玛伦的遗孀摩押女子路得为妻,好使死者继续在产业上留名,免得他的名在本族本乡中消失。今天,请各位作证。” 11 聚集在城门口的众人和长老都说:“我们愿意作证。愿耶和华使要进你家门的这女子,像建立以色列家的拉结和利亚一样。愿你在以法他家业兴隆,在伯利恒声名远播。 12 愿耶和华借着这年轻女子赐你后裔,使你家像先祖犹大和她玛的儿子法勒斯家一样。”

13 这样,波阿斯便娶了路得为妻,与她同房。耶和华使她怀孕生了一个儿子。 14 妇女们对拿俄米说:“耶和华当受称颂!因为今日祂赐给你一位至亲,使你后继有人,愿这孩子在以色列得享盛名! 15 他必让你的生命重新得力,奉养你,使你安度晚年,因为他是爱你的儿媳妇所生的。有这儿媳妇比有七个儿子还要好!” 16 拿俄米接过婴孩抱在怀中,照顾他。 17 邻居的妇女们喊着说:“拿俄米有孩子了!”她们给孩子取名叫俄备得,这俄备得就是耶西的父亲,耶西是大卫的父亲。

18 以下是法勒斯的家谱:法勒斯生希斯仑, 19 希斯仑生兰,兰生亚米拿达, 20 亚米拿达生拿顺,拿顺生撒门, 21 撒门生波阿斯,波阿斯生俄备得, 22 俄备得生耶西,耶西生大卫。

So Boaz went down to the marketplace[a] and found the relative he had mentioned.

“Say, come over here,” he called to him. “I want to talk to you a minute.”

So they sat down together. Then Boaz called for ten of the chief men of the village and asked them to sit as witnesses.

Boaz said to his relative, “You know Naomi, who came back to us from Moab. She is selling our brother Elimelech’s property. I felt that I should speak to you about it so that you can buy it if you wish, with these respected men as witnesses. If you want it,[b] let me know right away, for if you don’t take it, I will. You have the first right to purchase it and I am next.”

The man replied, “All right, I’ll buy it.”

Then Boaz told him, “Your purchase of the land from Naomi requires your marriage to Ruth so that she can have children to carry on her husband’s name and to inherit the land.”

“Then I can’t do it,” the man replied. “For her son would become an heir to my property too;[c] you buy it.”

In those days it was the custom in Israel for a man transferring a right of purchase to pull off his sandal and hand it to the other party; this publicly validated the transaction. So, as the man said to Boaz, “You buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal.

Then Boaz said to the witnesses and to the crowd standing around, “You have seen that today I have bought all the property of Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon, from Naomi, 10 and that with it I have purchased Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife, so that she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband.”

11 And all the people standing there and the witnesses replied, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who has now come into your home, as fertile as Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you be a great and successful man in Bethlehem, 12 and may the descendants the Lord will give you from this young woman be as numerous and honorable as those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

13 So Boaz married Ruth, and when he slept with her, the Lord gave her a son.

14 And the women of the city said to Naomi, “Bless the Lord who has given you this little grandson; may he be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and take care of you in your old age; for he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you so much, and who has been kinder to you than seven sons!”

16-17 Naomi took care of the baby, and the neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!”

And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse and grandfather of King David.

18-22 This is the family tree of Boaz, beginning with his ancestor Perez: Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nashon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:1 the marketplace, literally, “the gate” of the city, where legal affairs were usually transacted.
  2. Ruth 4:4 If you want it, literally, “If you want to redeem it.”
  3. Ruth 4:6 “For her son would become an heir to my property too,” or “That would ruin my own inheritance,” i.e., complicate his estate for the children he already had.

Boaz Marries Ruth

Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate(A) and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer[a](B) he had mentioned(C) came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.

Boaz took ten of the elders(D) of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.(E) Then 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.(F) I 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[b] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you,(G) and I am next in line.”

“I will redeem it,” he said.

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite,(H) the[c] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”(I)

At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem(J) it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”(K)

(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption(L) and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal(M) and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions(N) in Israel.)(O)

So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.(P)

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses(Q) that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite,(R) Mahlon’s widow, as my wife,(S) 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 hometown.(T) Today you are witnesses!(U)

11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate(V) said, “We are witnesses.(W) May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah,(X) who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah(Y) and be famous in Bethlehem.(Z) 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez,(AA) whom Tamar(AB) bore to Judah.”

Naomi Gains a Son

13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive,(AC) and she gave birth to a son.(AD) 14 The women(AE) said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord,(AF) who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.(AG) May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law,(AH) who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons,(AI) has given him birth.”

16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse,(AJ) the father of David.(AK)

The Genealogy of David(AL)

18 This, then, is the family line of Perez(AM):

Perez was the father of Hezron,(AN)

19 Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab,(AO)

20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,(AP)

Nahshon the father of Salmon,[d]

21 Salmon the father of Boaz,(AQ)

Boaz the father of Obed,

22 Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of David.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 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.
  2. Ruth 4:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts he
  3. Ruth 4:5 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew (see also Septuagint) Naomi and from Ruth the Moabite, you acquire the
  4. Ruth 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