Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

God Will Pay Back His Enemies

¹⁴ So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning but got up while it was still too dark to recognize anyone. Boaz thought, “People in town must not know that the woman came here to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ So Boaz said to Ruth, “Bring me your ·shawl [cloak] and hold it open.”

So Ruth held her ·shawl [cloak] open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it. Boaz then put it on ·her head [or her back; ^Lher] and went^[a] back to the city.

¹⁶ When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did ·you do [things go], my daughter?”

Ruth told Naomi everything that ·Boaz [^Lthe man] did for her. ¹⁷ She said, “Boaz gave me these six portions of barley, saying, ‘You must not go home ·without a gift for [^Lempty to] your mother-in-law.’”

¹⁸ Naomi answered, “·Wait [Stay here; or Be patient], my daughter, until you see what happens. ·Boaz [^LThe man] will not rest until he has finished doing what he should do today.”

Boaz Marries Ruth

4 Boaz went to the city gate [^Cthe hub of the town for judicial, business, and social interaction] and sat there until the ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer; 2:20] he had mentioned passed by. Boaz called to him, “·Come here [^LTurn aside], ·friend [or so-and-so; ^Cthe man is not named, perhaps ironically because he refused to preserve Naomi’s family name], and sit down.” So the man ·came over [turned aside] and sat down. ² Boaz gathered ten of the elders of the city and told them, “Sit down here!” So they sat down.

³ Then Boaz said to the ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer], “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, ·wants to sell [is selling] the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech [^Cit was important in Israel to keep property in the family]. ⁴ So I ·decided [or thought it my obligation] to tell you about it: If you want to ·buy back the land [redeem it], then ·buy it [redeem] in front of the people who are sitting here and in front of the elders of my people. But if you don’t want to buy it, tell me, because you are the ·only one [or first in line] who can buy it, and I am next after you.”

The close relative answered, “I will ·buy back the land [redeem it].”

⁵ Then Boaz explained, “When you ·buy [acquire] the land from [^Lthe hand of] Naomi, you must also ·marry [acquire] Ruth, the Moabite, the dead man’s wife. ·That way, the land will stay in the dead man’s name [^L…to raise up a name for the dead man upon his inheritance].”

⁶ The ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer] answered, “I can’t ·buy back the land [redeem it]. If I did, I might ·harm [destroy; endanger; put in jeopardy] ·what I can pass on to my own sons [my inheritance]. I cannot ·buy the land back [redeem it], so ·buy it [redeem it for] yourself.”

⁹ To be on the list of widows [^Cprobably a list of those widows who received regular support from the church], a woman must be at least sixty years old. She must have been ·faithful to her husband [or married only once; or the wife of one husband]. ¹⁰ She must be known for her good works—works such as raising her children, ·welcoming strangers [practicing hospitality], washing the feet of ·God’s people [^Tthe saints], helping those in ·trouble [distress; hardship], and ·giving [devoting] her life to do all kinds of good deeds.

¹¹ But do not put younger widows on that list. After they give themselves to Christ, they are pulled away from him by their physical desires, and then they want to marry again. ¹² They will be judged for ·not doing what they first promised to do [breaking/despising their first pledge]. ¹³ Besides that, they learn to ·waste their time [be idle], going from house to house. And they not only ·waste their time [are idlers] but also begin to gossip and ·busy themselves with other people’s lives [become busybodies/meddlers], saying things they should not say. ¹⁴ So I want the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their homes. Then ·no enemy will [or the adversary will not; ^CSatan] have any ·reason [or opportunity] ·to criticize them [or for maligning/slandering (us/them)]. ¹⁵ But some have already ·turned [wandered; strayed] away to follow Satan.

¹⁶ If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should ·care for [provide support for] them herself. The church should not ·have to care for them [^Lcarry this burden]. Then it will be able to ·take care of [support] those who are truly widows.