The Marriage of Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, ^(A)the ^[a]close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, ^[b]friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² He took ten men of the ^(B)elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the ^[c]closest relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land ^(C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought to ^[d]inform you, saying, ‘^(D)Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if ^[e]not, tell me that I may know; for ^(E)there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am 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 acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order ^(F)to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.” ^6 (G)The ^[f]closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would ^[g]jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.”

⁷ Now this was ^(H)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. ⁸ So the ^[h]closest relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. ⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so ^(I)that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the ^[i]court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” ¹¹ All the people who were in the ^[j]court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home ^(J)like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve ^[k]wealth in Ephrathah and ^[l]become famous in Bethlehem. ¹² Moreover, may your house be like the house of ^(K)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the ^[m]offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And ^(L)the Lord ^[n]enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ Then the ^(M)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a ^[o]redeemer today, and may his name ^[p]become famous in Israel. ¹⁵ May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you ^[q](N)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

The Line of David Began Here

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child ^[r]and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. ¹⁷ The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Perez: ^(O)to Perez ^[s]was born Hezron, ¹⁹ and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, ²⁰ and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, ²¹ and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, ²² and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.

The Lord’s Care over All His Works.

Prophecy a Superior Gift

14 ^(A)Pursue love, yet ^(B)desire earnestly ^(C)spiritual gifts, but especially that you may ^(D)prophesy. ² For one who ^(E)speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one ^[a]understands, but ^[b]in his spirit he speaks ^(F)mysteries. ³ But one who prophesies speaks to men for ^(G)edification and ^(H)exhortation and consolation. ⁴ One who ^(I)speaks in a tongue ^(J)edifies himself; but one who ^(K)prophesies ^(L)edifies the church. ⁵ Now I wish that you all ^(M)spoke in tongues, but ^(N)even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who ^(O)speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive ^(P)edifying.

⁶ But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of ^(Q)revelation or of ^(R)knowledge or of ^(S)prophecy or of ^(T)teaching? ⁷ Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? ⁸ For if ^(U)the ^[c]bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? ⁹ So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be ^(V)speaking into the air. ¹⁰ There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of ^[d]languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. ¹¹ If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a ^[e](W)barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a ^[f]barbarian ^[g]to me. ¹² So also you, since you are zealous of ^[h]spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the ^(X)edification of the church.

¹³ Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ^15 (Y)What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will ^(Z)sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. ¹⁶ Otherwise if you bless ^[i]in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ^[j]ungifted say ^(AA)the “Amen” at your ^(AB)giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not ^(AC)edified. ¹⁸ I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; ¹⁹ however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Instruction for the Church

^20 (AD)Brethren, ^(AE)do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil ^(AF)be infants, but in your thinking be mature. ²¹ In ^(AG)the Law it is written, “^(AH)By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord. ²² So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but ^(AI)prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. ²³ Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ^[k]ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that ^(AJ)you are mad? ²⁴ But if all ^(AK)prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ^[l]ungifted man enters, he is ^(AL)convicted by all, he is called to account by all; ^25 (AM)the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will ^(AN)fall on his face and worship God, ^(AO)declaring that God is certainly among you.

^26 (AP)What is the outcome then, ^(AQ)brethren? When you assemble, ^(AR)each one has a ^(AS)psalm, has a ^(AT)teaching, has a ^(AU)revelation, has a ^(AV)tongue, has an ^(AW)interpretation. Let ^(AX)all things be done for edification. ²⁷ If anyone speaks in a ^(AY)tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must ^(AZ)interpret; ²⁸ but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. ²⁹ Let two or three ^(BA)prophets speak, and let the others ^(BB)pass judgment. ³⁰ But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. ³¹ For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; ³² and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; ³³ for God is not a God of ^(BC)confusion but of ^[m]peace, as in ^(BD)all the churches of the ^(BE)saints.

³⁴ The women are to ^(BF)keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but ^(BG)are to subject themselves, just as ^(BH)the Law also says. ³⁵ If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is ^[n]improper for a woman to speak in church. ^36 [o]Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?

^37 (BI)If anyone thinks he is a prophet or ^(BJ)spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you ^(BK)are the Lord’s commandment. ³⁸ But if anyone does not recognize this, he ^[p]is not recognized.

³⁹ Therefore, my brethren, ^(BL)desire earnestly to ^(BM)prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. ⁴⁰ But ^(BN)all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.