Ruth 4

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

And Boaz went up to the public place of the town, and took his seat there: and the near relation of whom he had been talking came by; and Boaz, crying out to him by name, said, Come and be seated here. And he came and was seated.

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

Then he got ten of the responsible men of the town, and said, Be seated here. And they took their seats.

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

Then he said to the near relation, Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is offering for a price that bit of land which was our brother Elimelech's:

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 it was in my mind to give you the chance of taking it, with the approval of those seated here and of the responsible men of my people. If you are ready to do what it is right for a relation to do, then do it: but if you will not do it, say so to me now; for there is no one who has the right to do it but you, and after you myself. And he said, I will do it.

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

Then Boaz said, On the day when you take this field, you will have to take with it Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, so that you may keep the name of the dead living in his heritage.

6 Qui respondit: Cedo iuri propinquitatis: neque enim posteritatem familiae meae delere debeo. tu meo utere privilegio, quo me libenter carere profiteor.

And the near relation said, I am not able to do the relation's part, for fear of damaging the heritage I have: you may do it in my place, for I am not able to do it myself.

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 testimonium cessionis in Israel.

Now, in earlier times this was the way in Israel when property was taken over by a near relation, or when there was a change of owner. To make the exchange certain one man took off his shoe and gave it to the other; and this was a witness in Israel.

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

So the near relation said to Boaz, Take it for yourself. And he took off his shoe.

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

Then Boaz said to the responsible men and to all the people, You are witnesses today that I have taken at a price from Naomi all the property which was Elimelech's, and everything which was Chilion's and Mahlon's.

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.

And, further, I have taken Ruth, the Moabitess, who was the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to keep the name of the dead man living in his heritage, so that his name may not be cut off from among his countrymen, and from the memory of his town: you are witnesses this day.

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

And all the people who were in the public place, and the responsible men, said, We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who is about to come into your house, like Rachel and Leah, which two were the builders of the house of Israel: and may you have wealth in Ephrathah, and be great in Beth-lehem;

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

May your family be like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave to Judah, from the offspring which the Lord may give you by 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 to her, and the Lord made her with child and she gave birth to a son.

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

And the women said to Naomi, A blessing on the Lord, who has not let you be this day without a near relation, and may his name be great in Israel.

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

He will be a giver of new life to you, and your comforter when you are old, for your daughter-in-law, who, in her love for you, is better than seven sons, has given birth to him.

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

And Naomi took the child and put her arms round it, and she took care of it.

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

And the women who were her neighbours gave it a name, saying, Naomi has a child; and they gave him the name of Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Hae sunt generationes Phares: Phares genuit Esron,

Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron;

19 Esron genuit Aram, Aram genuit Aminadab,

And Hezron became the father of Ram, and Ram became the father of Amminadab;

20 Aminadab genuit Nahasson, Nahasson genuit Salmon,

And Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of Salmon;

21 Salmon genuit Booz, Booz genuit Obed,

And Salmon became the father of Boaz, and Boaz became the father of Obed;

22 Obed genuit Isai, Isai genuit David.

And Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.