Ruth 4

Business at the Gate

1 Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down. The closer guardian-redeemer he told Ruth about walked by, and Boaz said, “Listen, cousin, slide through.” Dude sat down.

2 Boaz grabbed ten town elders and said, “You all sit too.” They all took their seats.

3 Then Boaz told the man, “Naomi’s selling the land that belonged to Elimelech, her husband.”

4 “I wanted to tell you first. You got the right to buy it. If you want it, cool. If not, let me know, because I am next in line.” The man said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Boaz said, “Just so you know, if you buy the land, you also must marry Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to keep his family name alive.”

6 The man said, “Oh nah, that is too much. It might mess up my own inheritance. You go ahead and redeem it, I cannot do it.”

A Deal Is Made

7 Back then in Israel, if you made a deal on land or property, you sealed it by taking off a sandal and handing it over. That was the move.

8 So the guardian-redeemer said, “You buy it,” and took off his sandal.

9 Then Boaz said to the elders and the crowd, “You all are my witnesses. Today I bought everything that belonged to Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion from Naomi.”

10 “And I am taking Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife. I am doing this to keep his family name alive and respected in Israel.”

11 The elders and the crowd said, “We are witnesses! May the Lord bless this woman like He did Rachel and Leah, who built up the house of Israel. Boaz, may your name be strong in Bethlehem.”

12 “May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, all because of the child the Lord will give you through this woman.”

Ruth Marries Boaz

13 So Boaz married Ruth. The Lord blessed her, and she got pregnant and had a son.

14 The women told Naomi, “Praise the Lord! He did not leave you without a redeemer today. May this child’s name be famous in Israel!”

15 “He will restore your life and take care of you when you are old, because your daughter-in-law loves you and is worth more than seven sons.”

16 Naomi took the baby, held him tight, and became his caregiver.

17 The neighborhood women said, “Naomi got a son now!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David.

The Line to David

18 Here is the family line from Perez: Perez had Hezron.

19 Hezron had Ram. Ram had Amminadab.

20 Amminadab had Nahshon. Nahshon had Salmon.

21 Salmon had Boaz. Boaz had Obed.

22 Obed had Jesse. Jesse had David.