⁷ But if the man has no desire to marry his brother’s widow, then his brother’s widow shall go up to the elders at the gate and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’^(A)

⁵ Then Boaz said, “The day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruth^[a] the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance.”^{(A) 6} At this, the next-of-kin^[b] said, “I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”^(B)

The Marriage of Boaz and Ruth

4 No sooner had Boaz gone up to the gate and sat down there than the next-of-kin^[a] of whom Boaz had spoken came passing by. So Boaz said, “Come over;^[b] sit down here.” And he went over and sat down.^{(A) 2} Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the town and said, “Sit down here,” so they sat down.