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A Grandson is Born to Naomi

13 So Boaz married Ruth and slept with her.[a] The Lord enabled her to conceive[b] and she gave birth to a son. 14 The village women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian[c] today! May he[d] become famous in Israel![e] 15 He will encourage you and provide for you when you are old,[f] for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given him birth. She[g] is better to you than seven sons!” 16 Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap;[h] she became his caregiver.[i] 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed.[j] Now he became the father of Jesse—David’s father.

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:13 tn Heb “and Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he approached her.” The verb לָקַח (laqakh), “to take,” acts as in idiom meaning “to take [a wife], to marry.” The phrase בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  2. Ruth 4:13 tn Heb “gave her conception” (so KJV); NRSV “made her conceive”; NLT “enabled her to become pregnant.”
  3. Ruth 4:14 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9. As the following context indicates, the child is referred to here.
  4. Ruth 4:14 tn The “guardian” is the subject of the verb, as the next verse makes clear.
  5. Ruth 4:14 tn Heb “may his name be called [i.e., “perpetuated”; see Gen 48:16] in Israel.”
  6. Ruth 4:15 tn Heb “and he will become for you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age” (NASB similar).
  7. Ruth 4:15 tn Heb “who, she”; KJV “which is better to thee.”
  8. Ruth 4:16 tn Or “breast”; KJV, NRSV “in her bosom.”
  9. Ruth 4:16 tn Heb “his nurse,” but this refers to a dry nurse, not a medical attendant. Cf. NIV “and cared for him”; TEV “and took (+ good CEV) care of him.”
  10. Ruth 4:17 tn The name “Obed” means “one who serves,” perhaps anticipating how he would help Naomi (see v. 15).

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.

He was intimate with her, the Lord let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be blessed, who today hasn’t left you without a redeemer. May his name be proclaimed in Israel. 15 He will restore your life and sustain you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you has given birth to him. She’s better for you than seven sons.” 16 Naomi took the child and held him to her breast, and she became his guardian. 17 The neighborhood women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They called his name Obed.[a] He became Jesse’s father and David’s grandfather.

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:17 Obed means one who serves (God).