4
Boaz married Ruth
1 Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. That was the place where people met together to decide important matters. When the man that Boaz had mentioned came there, the close relative of Ruth and Naomi’s dead husbands who had a responsibility to take care of Naomi and Ruth, Boaz said to him, “My friend, come over here and sit down.” So the man went and sat down.
2 Boaz then gathered ten of the elders of the town and asked them to sit down there also. After they sat down,
3 he said to the man who had the responsibility to take care of Naomi, “Naomi has returned from Moab region. She wants to sell the field that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
4 I thought that I should tell you about that, and suggest that you buy it, while these elders who are sitting here are listening. If you are willing to buy the property, do that. But if you do not want to buy it, tell me, so that I will know. I am suggesting this to you because you are the one who has the first right to buy it, and I am the one who has the second/next right to buy it.” The man replied, “I will buy it!”
5 Then Boaz told him, “When you buy the land from Naomi, you will also be taking Ruth, the woman who is from Moab, to be your wife, in order that she may give birth to a son who will inherit the property of her dead husband [MTY].”
6 Then the close relative of Ruth’s dead husband said, “If that is so, I do not want to buy the field, because then my own children would not inherit the property; Ruth’s children would inherit it. You buy the property!”
7 At that time, it was the custom in Israel, when a person bought property that belonged to another person, that the man who was selling the property would take off one of his sandals and give it to the one who was buying the property. That was the way they finalized sales in Israel.
8 So that close relative said to Boaz, “You buy the field yourself!” And he took off one of his sandals and gave it to Boaz.
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the other people who were there, “Today you have all seen that I have bought from Naomi all the property that belonged to her dead husband Elimelech and his dead sons Mahlon and Chilion.
10 I am also taking Ruth, the woman from Moab, Mahlon’s widow, to be my wife, in order that she may give birth to a son who will inherit the property of the dead man. In that way, Elimelech’s name will continue [LIT] among the members of his family and among all the people of this town. Today you all are witnesses of what I have done.”
11 All the elders and the others who were sitting at the town gate agreed, and one of them said, “Yes, we are witnesses. We hope/desire that Yahweh will enable this woman, who will be coming into your home, to give birth to many children, as Rachel and Leah did. They are the women from whom all us people [MTY] of Israel are descended. We hope that you will become rich in the clan of Ephratah, and become famous [MTY] here in Bethlehem.
12 We hope/desire that Yahweh will enable you and this young woman to have many descendants. And we hope/desire that your family will be as important as the family of your ancestor Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He ◄slept with/had sexual relations with► her [EUP] and Yahweh enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.
14 The women of Bethlehem said to Naomi, “Praise Yahweh! Now he has given [LIT] you a grandson who will be the one who will have the responsibility to take care of you. We hope that he will become famous [MTY] throughout Israel.
15 He will make you feel young again, and he will take care of you when you become old. Your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given birth to a son, who will ◄be better to/do more for► you than if you had seven sons of your own.”
16 Then Naomi took the baby and put him on her lap, and took care of him.
17 The women who were living near her said, “It is as though Naomi now has a son!” And they named him Obed. Later, Obed became the father of Jesse, and later Jesse became the father of King David.
18-22 Here is a list of the ancestors of King David: Perez’s son was Hezron. Hezron’s son was Ram. Ram’s son was Amminadab. Amminadab’s son was Nahshon. Nahshon’s son was Salmon. Salmon’s son was Boaz. Boaz’s son was Obed. Obed’s son was Jesse. Jesse’s son was King David.