4 1 Boaz speaketh to Ruth’s next kinsman touching her marriage. 7 The ancient custom in Israel. 10 Boaz marrieth Ruth, of whom he begetteth Obed. 18 The generation of Perez.
1 Then went Boaz up to the [a]gate, and sat there, and behold, the kinsman, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by: and he said, [b]Ho, such one, come, sit down here. And he turned, and sat down.
2 Then he took ten men of the Elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, will sell a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s.
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the [c]assistants, and before the Elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, tell me: for I know that there is none [d]besides thee to redeem it, and I am after thee. Then he answered, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also buy it of Ruth the Moabitess the wife of the dead, to stir up the name of the dead, upon his [e]inheritance.
6 And the kinsman answered, I cannot redeem it, lest I destroy mine own inheritance: redeem my right to thee, for I can not redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner beforetime in Israel, concerning redeeming and changing for to stablish all things: a man did pluck off his shoe, and gave it his neighbor: and this was a sure [f]witness in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for thee: and he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the Elders and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.
10 And moreover, Ruth the Moabitess the wife of Mahlon, have I bought to be my wife, to stir up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, and that the name of the dead be not put out from among his brethren, and from the gate of his [g]place: ye are witnesses this day.
11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the Elders said, We are witnesses: the Lord make the wife that cometh into thine house, like Rachel and like Leah, which twain did build the house of Israel: and that thou mayest do worthily in [h]Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem.
12 And that thine house be like the house of Perez ((A)whom Tamar bare unto Judah) of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.
13 ¶ So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave that she conceived, and bare a son.
14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, and [i]his name shall be continued in Israel.
15 And this shall bring thy life again, and cherish thine old age: for thy daughter-in-law which loveth thee, hath borne unto him, and she is better to thee than [j]seven sons.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her lap, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a child born to Naomi, and called the name thereof Obed: the same was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 ¶ These now are the generations of (B)[k]Perez: Perez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
Footnotes
- Ruth 4:1 Which was the place of judgment.
- Ruth 4:1 The Hebrews here use two words which have no proper signification, but serve to note a certain person, as we say, Ho sirrah, or ho such a one.
- Ruth 4:4 Or, inhabitants.
- Ruth 4:4 For thou art the next of the kin.
- Ruth 4:5 That his inheritance might bear his name that is dead.
- Ruth 4:7 That he had resigned his right, Deut. 25:9.
- Ruth 4:10 Or, of the city where he remained.
- Ruth 4:11 Ephrathah and Bethlehem are both one.
- Ruth 4:14 He shall leave continual posterity.
- Ruth 4:15 Meaning, many sons.
- Ruth 4:18 This genealogy is brought in, to prove that David by succession came of the house of Judah.