Ruth 4

New International Version

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.

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

⁵Then 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)

⁶At 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)

⁸So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.^(P)

⁹Then 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. ¹⁰I 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)”

¹¹Then 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) ¹²Through 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

¹³So 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) ¹⁴The 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! ¹⁵He 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.”

¹⁶Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. ¹⁷The 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)

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

Perez was the father of Hezron,^(AN)

¹⁹Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab,^(AO)

²⁰Amminadab the father of Nahshon,^(AP)

Nahshon the father of Salmon,^[d]

²¹Salmon the father of Boaz,^(AQ)

Boaz the father of Obed,

²²Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of David.

Footnotes

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

Proverbs 2

New International Version

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2 My son,^(A) if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
²turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding^(B)—
³indeed, if you call out for insight^(C)
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,^(D)
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.^(E)
⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;^(F)
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^(G)
⁷He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield^(H) to those whose walk is blameless,^(I)
⁸for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.^(J)

⁹Then you will understand^(K) what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,^(L)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.^(M)

¹²Wisdom will save^(N) you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
¹³who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,^(O)
¹⁴who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,^(P)
¹⁵whose paths are crooked^(Q)
    and who are devious in their ways.^(R)

¹⁶Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,^(S)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.^[a]^(T)
¹⁸Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.^(U)
¹⁹None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.^(V)

²⁰Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright will live in the land,^(W)
    and the blameless will remain in it;
²²but the wicked^(X) will be cut off from the land,^(Y)
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.^(Z)