Ruth 4  Legacy Standard Bible

Ruth Becomes Boaz’ Wife

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, ^(A)the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, ^[a]my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² Then he took ten men of the ^(B)elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field ^(C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘^(D)Acquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, tell me that I may know; for ^(E)there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” ⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also ^[b]acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order ^(F)to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” ^6 (G)So the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

⁷ Now this was ^(H)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. ⁸ So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. ⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so ^(I)that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” ¹¹ And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be ^(J)like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall ^[c]achieve ^[d]excellence in Ephrathah and shall ^[e]proclaim your name in Bethlehem. ¹² Moreover, may your house be like the house of ^(K)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.”

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And ^(L)Yahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ Then the ^(M)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a ^[f]kinsman redeemer today, and may his name ^[g]be proclaimed in Israel. ¹⁵ May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your ^[h]old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you ^[i](N)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

The Generations of David

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child ^[j]and put him on her bosom and became his nurse. ¹⁷ The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Perez: