⁶ The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.^(A)

¹⁹ his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town.

¹⁰ I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite,^(A) Mahlon’s widow, as my wife,^(B) 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.^(C) Today you are witnesses!^(D)”

¹¹ Then the elders and all the people at the gate^(E) said, “We are witnesses.^(F) May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah,^(G) who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah^(H) and be famous in Bethlehem.^{(I) 12} Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez,^(J) whom Tamar^(K) bore to Judah.”

Boaz Marries Ruth

4 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.

² Boaz took ten of the elders^(D) of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.^{(E) 3} 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) 4} 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.

⁵ 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)

⁶ 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)

⁷ (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)

²⁰ The Lord will never be willing to forgive^(A) them; his wrath and zeal^(B) will burn^(C) against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot^(D) out their names from under heaven.

¹⁴ Let me alone,^(A) so that I may destroy them and blot out^(B) their name from under heaven.^(C) And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”

⁸ Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women^(A) were to his father Isaac;^{(B) 9} so he went to Ishmael^(C) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth^(D) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.^(E)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba^(F) and set out for Harran.^(G)