Ruth’s Appeal to Boaz

3 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of? ² Now isn’t Boaz our relative?^(A) Haven’t you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. ³ Wash, put on perfumed oil, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do.”

⁵ So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.”^{[a] 6} She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had charged her to do. ⁷ After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley, and she came secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

⁸ At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! ⁹ So he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied. “Take me under your wing,^[b](B) for you are a family redeemer.”^(C)

¹⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord bless you,^(D) my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before,^[c] because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. ¹¹ Now don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say,^[d] since all the people in my town^[e] know that you are a woman of noble character.^{(E) 12} Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am. ¹³ Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that’s good.^(F) Let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives,^(G) I will. Now lie down until morning.”

¹⁴ So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark.^[f] Then Boaz said, “Don’t let it be known that a^[g] woman came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ And he told Ruth, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and hold it out.” When she held it out, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl, and she^[h] went into the town.

¹⁶ She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “What happened,^[i] my daughter?”

Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said,^[j] ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

¹⁸ Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won’t rest unless he resolves this today.”

Ruth and Boaz Marry

4 Boaz went to the gate of the town^(H) and sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz said, “Come over here^[k] and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. ² Then Boaz took ten men of the town’s elders^(I) and said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. ³ He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the territory of Moab, is selling the portion of the field that belonged to our brother Elimelech.^{(J) 4} I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do^[l] not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn’t anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”

“I want to redeem it,” he answered.

⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you will acquire^[m] Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.”^[n](K)

⁶ The redeemer replied, “I can’t redeem it myself, or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can’t redeem it.”

⁷ At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal^(L) and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.

⁸ So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy back the property yourself.”

⁹ Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. ¹⁰ I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”

¹¹ All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah,^(M) who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem. ¹² May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah,^(N) because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

¹³ Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. ¹⁵ He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons,^(O) has given birth to him.” ¹⁶ Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. ¹⁷ The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

David’s Genealogy from Judah’s Son

¹⁸ Now these are the family records of Perez:

Psalm 37

Instruction in Wisdom

Of David.

Peter and John Arrested

4 While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them,^{(A) 2} because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.^{(B) 3} So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men^[a] came to about five thousand.

Peter and John Face the Jewish Leadership

⁵ The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem ⁶ with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.^{(C) 7} After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”

⁸ Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders:^{[b](D) 9} If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy.^{(E) 11} This Jesus is

¹² There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”^(G)

The Boldness of the Disciples

¹³ When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.^{(H) 14} And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition. ¹⁵ After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, ¹⁶ saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.^{(I) 17} But so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.” ¹⁸ So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹ Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide;^{(J) 20} for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”^(K)

²¹ After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done.^{(L) 22} For this sign of healing had been performed on a man over forty years old.

Prayer for Boldness

²³ After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.^{(M) 25} You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant:^[d]

²⁷ “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,^{(O) 28} to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness,^{(P) 30} while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders^(Q) are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.^(R)

All Things in Common

³² Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.^{(S) 33} With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.^{(T) 34} For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold,^{(U) 35} and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.^(V)

³⁶ Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement),^{(W) 37} sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.^(X)