Ruth 4
Legacy Standard Bible
Ruth Becomes Boaz’ Wife
4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, (A)the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, [a]my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 Then 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 kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field (C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘(D)Acquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, 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 acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also [b]acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order (F)to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” 6 (G)So the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was (H)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this 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 acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. 10 And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so (I)that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” 11 And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be (J)like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall [c]achieve [d]excellence in Ephrathah and shall [e]proclaim your name in Bethlehem. 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of (K)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And (L)Yahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the (M)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a [f]kinsman redeemer today, and may his name [g]be proclaimed in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your [h]old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [i](N)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Generations of David
16 Then Naomi took the child [j]and put him on her bosom 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)Perez became the father of Hezron,
19 and Hezron became the father of Ram,
and Ram became the father of Amminadab,
20 and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon became the father of [k]Salmah,
21 and Salmon became the father of Boaz,
and Boaz became the father of Obed,
22 and Obed became the father of Jesse,
and Jesse became the father of David.
Footnotes
- Ruth 4:1 Lit a certain one
- Ruth 4:5 Or acquire it from Ruth
- Ruth 4:11 Lit do
- Ruth 4:11 Or wealth, valor
- Ruth 4:11 Or have your name called out
- Ruth 4:14 Or closest relative
- Ruth 4:14 Lit be called in
- Ruth 4:15 Or gray hair
- Ruth 4:15 Lit who
- Ruth 4:16 As her own
- Ruth 4:20 A variant spelling of Salmon, cf. 4:21
Ruth 4
New Living Translation
Boaz Marries Ruth
4 Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together. 2 Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. 3 And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”
The man replied, “All right, I’ll redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”
6 “Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”
7 Now in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. 8 So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.”
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.”
11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”
The Descendants of Boaz
13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”
16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.
18 This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron.
19 Hezron was the father of Ram.
Ram was the father of Amminadab.
20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.[a]
21 Salmon was the father of Boaz.
Boaz was the father of Obed.
22 Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of David.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
