Ruth 4
1 Now, Boaz, went up to the gate, and sat him down there, and lo! the kinsman, passing by, of whom Boaz had spoken, so he said—Turn aside! and sit down here, such a one! And he turned aside, and sat down.
Then Booz went up to the gate, and sat there. And when he had seen the kinsman going by, of whom he had spoken before, he said to him, calling him by his name: Turn aside for a little while, and sit down here. He turned aside, and sat down.
2 Then fetched he ten men of the elders of the city, and said—Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
And Booz taking ten men of the ancients of the city, said to them: Sit ye down here.
3 Then said he to the kinsman, The parcel of land that was our brother Elimelech’s, is to be disposed of by Naomi, who hath returned out of the country of Moab;
They sat down, and he spoke to the kinsman: Noemi, who is returned from the country of Moab, will sell a parcel of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
4 and, I, thought, I would unveil thine ear, saying—Take it over in presence of such as are here seated, and in presence of the elders of my people. If thou wilt act as kinsman, act as kinsman, but, if thou wilt not so act, only tell me—that I may know, for there is none who can set thee aside as kinsman, but, I, am after thee. And he said, I, will act as kinsman.
I would have thee to understand this, and would tell thee before all that sit here, and before the ancients of my people. If thou wilt take possession of it by the right of kindred: buy it and possess it: but if it please thee not, tell me so, that I may know what I have to do. For there is no near kinsman besides thee, who art first, and me, who am second. But he answered: I will buy the field.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou takest over the land from the hand of Naomi, also, of Ruth the Moabitess, wife of the dead, dost thou take [it], to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
And Booz said to him: When thou shalt buy the field at the woman’s hand, thou must take also Ruth the Moabitess, who was the wife of the deceased: to raise up the name of thy kinsman in his inheritance.
6 Then said the kinsman—I cannot act as kinsman for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance, —do, thou, for thyself act as kinsman in my right, for I cannot so redeem.
He answered: I yield up my right of next akin: for I must not cut off the posterity of my own family. Do thou make use of my privilege, which I profess I do willingly forego.
7 Now, this aforetime, [was the way] in Israel, at a redeeming, and at an exchanging, to confirm every word: A man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour, —yea, this, was the way of taking to witness, in Israel.
Now this in former times was the manner in Israel between kinsmen, that if at any time one yielded his right to another: that the grant might be sure, the man put off his shoe, and gave it to his neighhour; this was a testimony of cession of right in Israel.
8 So the kinsman said unto Boaz, Take it over for thyself, —and he drew off his shoe.
So Booz said to his kinsman: Put off thy shoe. And immediately he took it off from his foot.
9 Then said Boaz to the elders, and all the people—Witnesses, are ye to-day, that I have taken over all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s, and Mahlon’s, —from the hand of Naomi:
And he said to the ancients and to all the people: You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and Chelion’s, and Mahalon’s, of the hand of Noemi:
10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, have I taken over, 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 dwelling- place, —Witnesses, are ye to-day!
And have taken to wife Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahalon, to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance lest his name be cut off, from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.
11 Then said all the people who were in the gate, and the elders—Witnesses!, —Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into thy house, to be as Rachel, and as Leah, which two of them did build the house of Israel. Do thou bravely, then, in Ephrathah, and proclaim thou a name in Bethlehem,
Then all the people that were in the gate, and the ancients answered: We are witnesses: The Lord make this woman who cometh into thy house, like Rachel, and Lia, who built up the house of Israel: that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrata, and may have a famous name in Bethlehem:
12 And let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare to Judah, —of the seed which—may Yahweh give thee, of this young woman.
And that the house may be, as the house of Phares, whom Thamar bore unto Juda, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in unto her, —and Yahweh granted her conception, and she bare a son.
Booz therefore took Ruth, and married her: and went in unto her, and the Lord gave her to conceive and to bear a son.
14 Then said the women unto Naomi, Blessed, be Yahweh! who hath not let thee fail of a kinsman to-day, —and may his name, be proclaimed, in Israel;
And the women said to Noemi: Blessed be the Lord, who hath not suffered thy family to want a successor, that his name should be preserved in Israel.
15 So shall he become a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age, —for, thy daughter-in-law who loveth thee, hath borne him, even, she, who is better to thee than seven sons.
And thou shouldst have one to comfort thy soul, and cherish thy old age. For he is born of thy daughter in law: who loveth thee: and is much better to thee, than if thou hadst seven sons.
16 So Naomi took the boy, and laid him in her bosom, and she became his nurse.
And Noemi taking the child laid it in her bosom, and she carried it, and was a nurse unto it.
17 And the women, her neighbours, gave him a name, saying, There is born a son to Naomi, —So they called his name Obed, he, was, the father of Jesse, the father of David.
And the women her neighbours, congratulating with her and saying: There is a son born to Noemi: called his name Obed: he is the father of Isai, the father of David.
18 These, then, are the generations of Perez: Perez, begat, Hezron;
These are the generations of Phares: Phares begot Esron,
19 And, Hezron, begat, Ram, and, Ram, begat, Amminadab;
Esron begot Aram, Aram begot Aminadab,
20 And, Amminadab, begat Nahshon, and, Nahshon, begat, Salmon,
Aminadab begot Nahasson, Nahasson begot Salmon,
21 And, Salmon, begat, Boaz, and, Boaz, begat, Obed;
Salmon begot Booz, Booz begot Obed,
22 And, Obed, begat, Jesse, and, Jesse, begat, David.
Obed begot Isai, Isai begot David.
