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Ruth 4
Evangelical Heritage Version
Ruth 4
Evangelical Heritage Version
Boaz and Ruth Marry and Have a Son
4 Boaz went up to the city gate, and he sat down there. Just then, the redeemer about whom Boaz had spoken was passing by. Boaz said, “Come over here! Sit down, my dear friend!”[a] So he came over and sat down.
2 Then Boaz chose ten men from the elders of the town, and he said, “Sit down here!” They too sat down.
3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who returned from the territory of Moab, is putting up for sale[b] the piece of land that belongs to our brother Elimelek. 4 On my part, I thought I should call it to your attention so that you may acquire it in the presence of these residents and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you wish to redeem it, redeem it. But if you do not wish to redeem it, declare that to me. I know that there is no one ahead of you in the right to redeem, but I am right after you.”
So the man said, “Yes, I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day that you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, I will acquire[c] from Ruth the Moabite, the wife of the deceased, the means to perpetuate the name of the deceased on his inheritance.”
6 Then the redeemer said, “I am not able to redeem it for myself, or I would ruin my inheritance. You acquire for yourself my right of redemption, because I am not able to redeem it.”
7 (In Israel this used to be the custom regarding the transfer of the right of redemption: To confirm every transfer, one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other party. This was the way of ratifying a transfer in Israel.)
8 So the redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire it for yourself!” Then he took off his sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired from the hand of Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelek and everything that belonged to Kilion and Mahlon. 10 Furthermore, Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired for myself as a wife, in order to perpetuate the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased shall not be cut off from his brothers and from the city gate of his place. You are witnesses today.”
11 Then all the people and the elders who were in the gatehouse said, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your household like Rachel and like Leah, the two women who built the house of Israel, so that you prosper in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12 May your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed[d] whom the Lord will give to you from this young woman.”
13 Then Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went to her. The Lord enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi:
Blessed is the Lord, who has not left you without a redeemer today.
May his name be proclaimed in Israel!
15 He will restore your life[e]
and care for you in your old age,
because your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given birth to him.
She is better for you than seven sons!
16 Then Naomi took the boy and put him on her lap, and she became his caregiver. 17 The neighboring women named him, saying, “A son is born to Naomi!” and they named him Obed. He became the father[f] of Jesse, the father of David.
The Genealogy From Judah to David
18 Now this is the family history of Perez:
Perez became the father of Hezron.
19 Hezron became the father of Ram.
Ram became the father of Amminadab.
20 Amminadab became the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon became the father of Salmah.
21 Salmon[g] became the father of Boaz.
Boaz became the father of Obed.
22 Obed became the father of Jesse,
and Jesse became the father of David.
Footnotes
- Ruth 4:1 The Hebrew has an unusual expression that seems to be a device to avoid mentioning the name of the man who refused to marry Ruth. He is a “John Doe.”
- Ruth 4:3 It is uncertain what the exact nature of this sale is since land in Israel could not be sold in perpetuity but could only be leased until the next Year of Jubilee. Naomi may, in effect, be leasing the right to use the land to the person who redeemed it.
- Ruth 4:5 The reading I will acquire is the reading from the main Hebrew text. Many translations follow the Hebrew reading from the margin (qere) you must acquire. This second reading also has good support in the ancient versions, but the redeemer of land had no legal obligation to serve as a levir, a brother-in-law who married his brother’s widow in order to provide an heir for him. The threat that Boaz holds over the man is not that if the man takes the land, he must also marry Ruth, but that if the man takes the land, Boaz will marry Ruth, and their first son will get the land. Boaz treats acquiring the land and marrying Ruth as two separate transactions.
- Ruth 4:12 The literal term seed is retained here to emphasize the continuity of the promise of the Seed of the Woman from Eve through Ruth to Christ.
- Ruth 4:15 Or soul. The masculine pronouns seem to refer to the child, not to the Lord.
- Ruth 4:17 Obed was perhaps a forefather of Jesse since this genealogy covers more than three hundred years with only four names (Salmon, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse). Also Matthew 1:5 states that Boaz was the son of Rahab, who lived at the time of the conquest of Jericho, nearly four hundred years before David. There is probably a gap between Obed and Jesse, but this is not certain.
- Ruth 4:21 The Hebrew Bible frequently spells the same name in a variety of ways. Here we see variant versions of the same name (Salmah and Salmon) side by side.
Ruth 4
New International Version
Ruth 4
New International Version
Boaz Marries Ruth
4 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate(A) and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer[a](B) he had mentioned(C) came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
2 Boaz took ten of the elders(D) of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.(E) 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.(F) 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[b] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you,(G) 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,(H) the[c] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”(I)
6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem(J) it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”(K)
7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption(L) and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal(M) and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions(N) in Israel.)(O)
8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.(P)
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses(Q) that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite,(R) Mahlon’s widow, as my wife,(S) in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown.(T) Today you are witnesses!(U)”
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate(V) said, “We are witnesses.(W) May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah,(X) who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah(Y) and be famous in Bethlehem.(Z) 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez,(AA) whom Tamar(AB) bore to Judah.”
Naomi Gains a Son
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive,(AC) and she gave birth to a son.(AD) 14 The women(AE) said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord,(AF) who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.(AG) May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law,(AH) who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons,(AI) has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse,(AJ) the father of David.(AK)
The Genealogy of David(AL)
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez(AM):
Footnotes
- Ruth 4:1 The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55); also in verses 3, 6, 8 and 14.
- Ruth 4:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts he
- Ruth 4:5 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew (see also Septuagint) Naomi and from Ruth the Moabite, you acquire the
- Ruth 4:20 A few Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 21 and Septuagint of 1 Chron. 2:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Salma
Ruth 4
King James Version
Ruth 4
King James Version
4 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.
11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.
14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.