Ruth 4

4 ¹ Now Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there. And the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. So Boaz said, "Come over here, friend, and sit down." So he came over and sat down.

The Elders Bear Witness

² Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the family redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought I would inform you 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 redeem it, tell me, so that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I am next after you.'" And he said, "I will redeem it."

⁵ Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you also take Ruth the Moabite, the dead man's widow, to carry on the dead man's name along with his inheritance."

⁶ Then the family redeemer said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, or I would ruin my own inheritance. You take my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it."

⁷ Now in earlier times in Israel this was the custom for redeeming and exchanging property: to make any agreement binding, a man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other person, and this was how deals were confirmed in Israel. ¹ 1 v7 Removing a sandal and handing it over publicly sealed a legal transaction in ancient Israel — the equivalent of signing a contract before witnesses. ⁸ So when the family redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself," he took off his sandal.

⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ And I have also taken Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, to be my wife, to carry on the dead man's name along with his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the records of his hometown. You are witnesses today."

¹¹ Then all the people at the gate, along with the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the Sovereign Father make the woman coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. ¹² And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Sovereign Father will give you by this young woman."

Boaz and Ruth Wed

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He slept with her, and our Father enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.

Naomi's Arms Full Again

¹⁴ Then the women said to Naomi, "Praise the Sovereign Father, who has not left you today without a family redeemer, and may his name become famous in Israel! ¹⁵ He will renew your life and care for you in your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him." ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child, held him on her lap, and cared for him. ¹⁷ And 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.

The Line to David

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

Perez to David

¹⁹ Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, ²⁰ Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, ²¹ Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, ²² Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. ² 2 v22 The book of Ruth has been moving toward this name all along. From David's house will come Jesus — the Son of David, the true Kinsman-Redeemer whom Boaz quietly foreshadows.