Ruth4

¹Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there . And behold , the redeemer , of whom Boaz had spoken , came by . So Boaz said , Turn aside , friend ; sit down here . And he turned aside and sat down .

²And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said , Sit down here . So they sat down .

³Then he said to the redeemer , Naomi , who has come back from the country of Moab , is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech .

⁴So I thought I would tell you of it and say , Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people . If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know , for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you. And he said , I will redeem it.

⁵Then Boaz said , The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi , you also acquire Ruth the Moabite , the widow of the dead , in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance .

⁶Then the redeemer said , I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance . Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.

⁷Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging : to confirm a transaction , the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other , and this was the manner of attesting in Israel .

⁸So when the redeemer said to Boaz , Buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal .

⁹Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people , You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon .

¹⁰Also Ruth the Moabite , the widow of Mahlon , I have bought to be my wife , to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance , that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place . You are witnesses this day .

¹¹Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said , We are witnesses . May the Lord make the woman , who is coming into your house , like Rachel and Leah , who together built up the house of Israel . May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem ,

¹²and may your house be like the house of Perez , whom Tamar bore to Judah , because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman .

¹³So Boaz took Ruth , and she became his wife . And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception , and she bore a son .

¹⁴Then the women said to Naomi , Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer , and may his name be renowned in Israel !

¹⁵He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age , for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons , has given birth to him.

¹⁶Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse .

¹⁷And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name , saying , A son has been born to Naomi . They named him Obed . He was the father of Jesse , the father of David .

¹⁸Now these are the generations of Perez : Perez fathered Hezron ,

¹⁹Hezron fathered Ram , Ram fathered Amminadab ,

²⁰Amminadab fathered Nahshon , Nahshon fathered Salmon ,

²¹Salmon fathered Boaz , Boaz fathered Obed ,

²²Obed fathered Jesse , and Jesse fathered David .