And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the [a]assistants, and before the Elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, tell me: for I know that there is none [b]besides thee to redeem it, and I am after thee. Then he answered, I will redeem it.

Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also buy it of Ruth the Moabitess the wife of the dead, to stir up the name of the dead, upon his [c]inheritance.

And the kinsman answered, I cannot redeem it, lest I destroy mine own inheritance: redeem my right to thee, for I can not redeem it.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:4 Or, inhabitants.
  2. Ruth 4:4 For thou art the next of the kin.
  3. Ruth 4:5 That his inheritance might bear his name that is dead.

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[a] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you,(A) 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,(B) the[b] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”(C)

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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