Boaz Redeems Ruth

1And Boaz went up to the gate, and he sat there, and behold, the kinsman-redeemer† was passing by, of whom Boaz had spoken. And he said, “Turn aside, sit here such a one, such a one.” And he turned aside and sat.

2And he took ten men from the elders of the city and he said, “Sit here.” And they sat.

3And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “The piece of the field that belongs to our brother, to Elimelech, Naomi, the woman returning from the fields of Moab, is selling, 4and I said, ‘I will uncover your ear,' saying, ‘Buy it before those sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not† redeem it, tell me, that I may know; for there is none besides you to redeem it, and I am after you.

And he said, “I will redeem it.”

5And Boaz said, “In the day of your buying the field from the hand of Naomi, and from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, you must buy it to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.”

6And the kinsman-redeemer said, “I am not able to redeem it for myself, lest I damage my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself. You have my redemption, for I am not able to redeem it.”

7And this was formerly in Israel concerning the redemption and concerning the exchange: To confirm every matter, a man would remove his sandal and give it to his companion, and this was the testimony in Israel. 8And the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he removed his sandal.

9And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You⁺ are witnesses this day that I have bought all that belonged to Elimelech, and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi. 10And also Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired for myself for a wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, and the name of the dead will not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place; you⁺ are witnesses this day.”

11And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “Witnesses! May YHWH make the woman, the one coming to your house, like Rachel and like Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and you do virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim the name in Bethlehem. 12And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the seed that YHWH gives to you from this young woman.”

Boaz Marries Ruth

13And Boaz took Ruth, and she became to him for a wife, and he went in to her, and YHWH gave to her conception, and she bore a son.

14And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be YHWH, who has not let cease a kinsman-redeemer to you this day, and may his name be proclaimed in Israel. 15And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you—who is better to you than seven sons—has borne him.”

16And Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and she became to him a nurse. 17And the neighbor women called for him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Line of David
(Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38)

18And these are the generations of Perez:

Perez begat Hezron,

19and Hezron begat Ram,

and Ram begat Amminadab,

20and Amminadab begat Nahshon,

and Nahshon begat Salmon,†

21and Salmon begat Boaz,

and Boaz begat Obed,

22and Obed begat Jesse,

and Jesse begat David.

Footnotes:

1 The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer or guardian-redeemer is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative; also in verses 3, 6, 8, and 14; see Leviticus 25:25–55.
4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts he will not
20 A few Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Vulgate (see also verse 21 and LXX of 1 Chronicles 2:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Salma