Ruth 4

1 Ascendit ergo Booz ad portam, et sedit ibi. Cumque vidisset propinquum præterire, de quo prius sermo habitus est, dixit ad eum: Declina paulisper, et sede hic: vocans eum nomine suo. Qui divertit, et sedit.

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.

2 Tollens autem Booz decem viros de senioribus civitatis, dixit ad eos: Sedete hic.

Then fetched he ten men of the elders of the city, and said—Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

3 Quibus sedentibus, locutus est ad propinquum: Partem agri fratris nostri Elimelech vendet Noemi, quæ reversa est de regione Moabitide:

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;

4 quod audire te volui, et tibi dicere coram cunctis sedentibus, et maioribus natu de populo meo. Si vis possidere iure propinquitatis: eme, et posside. Sin autem displicet tibi, hoc ipsum indica mihi, ut sciam quid facere debeam. Nullus enim est propinquus, excepto te, qui prior es: et me, qui secundus sum. At ille respondit: Ego agrum emam.

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.

5 Cui dixit Booz: Quando emeris agrum de manu mulieris, Ruth quoque Moabitidem, quæ uxor defuncti fuit, debes accipere: ut suscites nomen propinqui tui in hereditate sua.

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.

6 Qui respondit: Cedo iuri propinquitatis: neque enim posteritatem familiæ meæ delere debeo. Tu meo utere privilegio, quo me libenter carere profiteor.

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.

7 Hic autem erat mos antiquitus in Israel inter propinquos, ut si quando alter alteri suo iuri cedebat: ut esset firma concessio, solvebat homo calceamentum suum, et dabat proximo suo. Hoc erat testmonium cessionis in Israel.

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.

8 Dixit ergo propinquo suo Booz: Tolle calceamentum tuum. Quod statim solvit de pede suo.

So the kinsman said unto Boaz, Take it over for thyself, —and he drew off his shoe.

9 At ille maioribus natu, et universo populo, Testes vos, inquit, estis hodie, quod possederim omnis quæ fuerunt Elimelech; et Chelion, et Mahalon, tradente Noemi:

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:

10 et Ruth Moabitidem, uxorem Mahalon, in coniugium sumpserim, ut suscitem nomen defuncti in hereditate sua, ne vocabulum eius de familia sua ac fratribus et populo deleatur. Vos, inquam, huius rei testes estis.

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!

11 Respondit omnis populus, qui erat in porta, et maiores natu: Nos testes sumus: faciat Dominus hanc mulierem, quæ ingreditur domum tuam, sicut Rachel, et Liam, quæ ædificaverunt domum Israel: ut sit exemplum virtutis in Ephratha, et habeat celebre nomen in Bethlehem:

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,

12 fiatque domus tua, sicut domus Phares, quem Thamar peperit Iudæ, de semine quod tibi dederit Dominus ex hac puella.

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.

13 Tulit itaque Booz Ruth, et accepit uxorem: ingressusque est ad eam, et dedit illi Dominus ut conciperet, et pareret filium.

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.

14 Dixeruntque mulieres ad Noemi: Benedictus Dominus, qui non est passus ut deficeret successor familiæ tuæ, et vocaretur nomen eius in Israel.

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;

15 Et habeas qui consoletur animam tuam, et enutriat senectutem. De nuru enim tua natus est, quæ te diligit: et multo tibi melior est, quam si septem haberes filios.

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.

16 Susceptumque Noemi puerum posuit in sinu suo, et nutricis ac gerulæ fungebatur officio.

So Naomi took the boy, and laid him in her bosom, and she became his nurse.

17 Vicinæ autem mulieris congratulantes ei, et dicentes: Natus est filius Noemi: vocaverunt nomen eius Obed: hic est pater Isai, patris David.

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.

18 Hæ sunt generationes Phares: Phares genuit Esron,

These, then, are the generations of Perez: Perez, begat, Hezron;

19 Esron genuit Aram, Aram genuit Aminadab,

And, Hezron, begat, Ram, and, Ram, begat, Amminadab;

20 Aminadab genuit Nahasson, Nahasson genuit Salmon,

And, Amminadab, begat Nahshon, and, Nahshon, begat, Salmon,

21 Salmon genuit Booz, Booz genuit Obed,

And, Salmon, begat, Boaz, and, Boaz, begat, Obed;

22 Obed genuit Isai, Isai genuit David.

And, Obed, begat, Jesse, and, Jesse, begat, David.