Boaz Redeems Ruth

Now Boaz had gone up to (A)the gate and sat down there. And behold, (B)the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men (C)of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, (D)‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you[a] will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth[b] the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order (E)to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” (F)Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:4 Hebrew he
  2. Ruth 4:5 Masoretic Text you also buy it from Ruth

Ruth and Boaz Marry

Boaz went to the gate of the town(A) and sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz called him by name and said, “Come[a] over here and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. Then Boaz took 10 men of the town’s elders(B) and said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling a piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.(C) I thought I should inform you:[b] 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 so. But if you do[c] 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.

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you will also acquire[d] Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.”(D)

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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:1 Lit Boaz said so-and-so come
  2. Ruth 4:4 Lit should uncover your ear, saying
  3. Ruth 4:4 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read if he does
  4. Ruth 4:5 Vg; MT reads Naomi and from