Boaz Redeems Ruth
1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold,the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down.
2 And he took ten men ofthe elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of landwhichbelongedto our brother Elimelech.
4 And I thought to inform you, saying,‘Buyitbackin the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeemit,redeemit;but if you will not redeemit, thentell me, that I may know;forthereisno one but you to redeemit,and Iamnext after you.’ ”
And he said, “I will redeemit.”
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buyitfrom Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead,to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”
6 And the close relative said, “I cannot redeemitfor myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeemit.”
7 Now thiswasthecustomin former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gaveitto the other, and thiswasa confirmation in Israel.
8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buyitfor yourself.” So he took off his sandal.
9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “Youarewitnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all thatwasChilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance,that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. Youarewitnesses this day.”
11 And all the people whowereat the gate, and the elders, said, “Wearewitnesses.TheLordmake the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two whobuilt the house of Israel; and may you prosper inEphrathah and be famous inBethlehem.
12 May your house be like the house ofPerez,whom Tamar bore to Judah, because ofthe offspring which theLordwill give you from this young woman.”
Descendants of Boaz and Ruth
13 So Boaztook Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her,theLordgave her conception, and she bore a son.
14 Thenthe women said to Naomi, “BlessedbetheLord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who isbetter to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.
17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. Heisthe father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now thisisthe genealogy of Perez:Perez begot Hezron;
19 Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab;
20 Amminadab begotNahshon, and Nahshon begotSalmon;
21 Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed;
22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begotDavid.