The Marriage of Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, ^(A)the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Come over here, ^[a]friend, sit down here.” And he came over 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 And he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, has to sell the plot of land ^(C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought that I would ^[b]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 ^[c]not, tell me so that I may know; for ^(E)there is no one except 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 Then ^(G)the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, otherwise I would ^[d]jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, since 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 way of confirmation in Israel. ⁸ So the redeemer 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 Furthermore, 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 eliminated from his brothers or from the ^[e]court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” ¹¹ And all the people who were ^[f]in the 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 ^[g]wealth in Ephrathah and ^[h]become famous in Bethlehem. ¹² Moreover, may your house be like the house of ^(K)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the ^[i]descendants whom the Lord will give you by this young woman.”