Ruth 4

1 And Boaz has gone up to the gate, and sits there, and behold, the redeemer is passing by of whom Boaz had spoken, and he says, “Turn aside, sit down here, such a one, such a one”; and he turns aside and sits down.

Then Boaz went up to the gate, and he sat there. And when he had seen the kinsman passing by, whom he had previously discussed, he spoke to him, calling him by his name, “Pause for a little while, and sit down here.” He turned aside and sat down.

2 And he takes ten men from [the] elderly of the city, and says, “Sit down here”; and they sit down.

But Boaz, calling aside ten men among the elders of the city, said to them, “Sit down here.”

3 And he says to the redeemer, “A portion of the field which [is] to our brother, to Elimelech, has Naomi sold, who has come back from the fields of Moab;

They settled down, and he spoke to the kinsman, “Naomi, who has returned from the region of the Moabites, is selling part of a field of our brother Elimelech.

4 and I said, I uncover your ear, saying, Buy before the inhabitants and before [the] elderly of my people; if you redeem—redeem, and if none redeems—declare [it] to me and I know, for there is none except you to redeem, and I after you.” And he says, “I redeem [it].”

I wanted you to hear this, and to tell you in front of everyone sitting here, including the eldest of my people. If you will take possession of it by the right of kinship, buy it and possess it. But if it displeases you, you should reveal this to me, so that I will know what I have to do. For there is no near kinsman besides you, who is before me, and I am after you.” But he answered, “I will buy the field.”

5 And Boaz says, “In the day of your buying the field from the hand of Naomi, then from Ruth the Moabitess, wife of the dead, you have bought [it], to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance.”

And Boaz said to him, “When buying the field, you are likewise obliged to accept the hand of the woman Ruth, the Moabite, who was the wife of the deceased, so that you may raise up the name of your near kinsman through his posterity.”

6 And the redeemer says, “I am not able to redeem [it] for myself, lest I destroy my inheritance; redeem for yourself—you—my right of redemption, for I am not able to redeem.”

He answered, “I yield my right of kinship, for I am obliged not to cut off the posterity of my own family. You may make use of my privilege, which I freely declare I will forego.”

7 And this [is] formerly in Israel for redemption and for exchanging, to establish anything: a man has drawn off his sandal, and given [it] to his neighbor, and this [is] the Testimony in Israel.

Yet it was the custom between kinsmen in this former time in Israel, that if at any time one yielded his right to another, so as to confirm his permission, the man took off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor. This was a testimony of concession in Israel.

8 And the redeemer says to Boaz, “Buy [it] for yourself,” and draws off his sandal.

And so Boaz said to his kinsman, “Take off your shoe.” And immediately he released it from his foot.

9 And Boaz says to the elderly, and [to] all the people, “You [are] witnesses today that I have bought all that [belonged] to Elimelech, and all that [belonged] to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi;

And he said to the eldest and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day, that I have taken possession of all that belonged to Elimelech and Chilion and Mahlon, and was bequeathed to Naomi.

10 and also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, I have bought to myself for a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance; and the name of the dead is not cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place; witnesses you [are] today.”

And Ruth, the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I have taken in marriage so as to raise up the name of the deceased in his posterity, so that his name will not be cut off from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.”

11 And all the people who [are] in the gate say—also the elderly, “Witnesses! YHWH makes the woman who is coming to your house as Rachel and as Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and you do virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim the name in Beth-Lehem;

All the people who were at the gate, along with the eldest, answered, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who enters into your house, like Rachel, and Leah, who built up the house of Israel, so that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrathah, and so that her name may be honored in Bethlehem.

12 and let your house be as the house of Perez (whom Tamar bore to Judah), of the seed which YHWH gives to you of this young woman.”

And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the offspring which the Lord will give to you from this young woman.”

13 And Boaz takes Ruth, and she becomes his wife, and he goes in to her, and YHWH gives conception to her, and she bears a son.

And so Boaz took Ruth, and received her as his wife, and he went in to her, and the Lord granted to her to conceive and bear a son.

14 And the women say to Naomi, “Blessed [is] YHWH who has not let a redeemer cease to you today, and his name is proclaimed in Israel,

And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not permitted your family to be without a successor, and may his name be called upon in Israel.

15 and he has been to you for a restorer of life, and for a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who has loved you—who is better to you than seven sons—has borne him.”

And now you may have someone to comfort your soul and to care for you in old age, for he is born of your daughter-in-law, who loves you, and this is much better for you, than if you had seven sons.”

16 And Naomi takes the boy, and lays him in her bosom, and is to him for a nurse;

And taking up the boy, Naomi placed him on her bosom, and she took on the duties of carrying him and nursing him.

17 and the neighboring women give a name to him, saying, “There has been a son born to Naomi,” and they call his name Obed; he [is] father of Jesse, father of David.

And the women of the near future were congratulating her and saying, “There was a son born to Naomi. They called his name Obed. Here is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

18 And these are generations of Perez: Perez begot Hezron,

These are the generations of Perez: Perez conceived Hezron,

19 and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminidab,

Hezron conceived Aram, Aram conceived Amminadab,

20 and Amminidab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon,

Amminadab conceived Nahshon, Nahshon conceived Salmon,

21 and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed,

Salmon conceived Boaz, Boaz conceived Obed,

22 and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

Obed conceived Jesse, Jesse conceived David.