< Ruth 4 >
1 Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. And, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by, to whom he said, Such man, stay, 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 to the near kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's.
4 And I thought to disclose it to thee, saying, Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou will redeem it, redeem it, but if thou will not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is none to redeem it besides thee, and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
5 Then Boaz said, That day thou buy 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 near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I mar my own inheritance. Take thou my right of redemption on thee, for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: A man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor. And this was the manner of attestation in Israel.
8 So the near kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said to the elders, and to 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, from the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place. Ye are witnesses this day.
11 And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that has come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel, and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem.
12 And let thy house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee by this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bore a son.
14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who has not left thee this day without a near kinsman. And let his name be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be to thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loves thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, has borne him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it.
17 And the women, her neighbors, 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 Perez: Perez begot Hezron,
19 and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab,
20 and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon,
21 and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed,
22 and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
