² The man’s name was Elimelek,^(A) his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.^(B) They were Ephrathites^(C) from Bethlehem,^(D) Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

³ Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

2 Now Naomi had a relative^(A) on her husband’s side, a man of standing^(B) from the clan of Elimelek,^(C) whose name was Boaz.^(D)

³ So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters.^(A) As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.^(B)

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.^{(A) 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^[a] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you,^(B) 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,^(C) the^[b] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”^(D)

⁶ At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem^(E) it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”^(F)

⁷ (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption^(G) and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal^(H) and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions^(I) in Israel.)^(J)

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

⁹ Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses^(L) that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon.

¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite^(A) named Jesse,^(B) who was from Bethlehem^(C) in Judah. Jesse had eight^(D) sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old.