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.

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

⁵ Then 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)

⁶ At 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)

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

⁹ Then 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. ¹⁰ I 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)”

¹¹ Then 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) 12} Through 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

¹³ So 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) 14} The 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! ¹⁵ He 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.”

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

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,^(A) whose father and mother we know?^(B) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”^(C)

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^(D) and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](E) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(F) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(G) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(H) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(I) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(J) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(K) that came down from heaven.^(L) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(M)

⁵² Then the Jews^(N) began to argue sharply among themselves,^(O) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^(P) of the Son of Man^(Q) and drink his blood,^(R) you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{(S) 55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{(T) 57} Just as the living Father sent me^(U) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^(V)

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

²⁴ A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.^{(A) 25} Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest,^(B) and the one who rules like the one who serves.^{(C) 27} For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.^{(D) 28} You are those who have stood by me in my trials. ²⁹ And I confer on you a kingdom,^(E) just as my Father conferred one on me, ³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom^(F) and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.^(G)