Ruth 3 - 4
Boaz Will Redeem Ruth
3Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek a state of rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2“And now, is not Boaz aour 1kinsman, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3“So you shall wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and you shall go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4“Let it be that when he lies down, you shall know the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.” 5She said to her, “aAll that you say I will do.”
6So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7And Boaz ate and drank and ahis heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8Then it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and 1bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9And he said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maidservant. So spread your awing over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman redeemer.” 10Then he said, “aMay you be blessed of Yahweh, my daughter. You have shown your last lovingkindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11“So now, my daughter, do not fear. All that you say, I will do for you; for all my people within the gates of the city know that you are aa woman of excellence. 12“But now it is true I am a kinsman redeemer; however, there is a kinsman redeemer closer than I. 13“Stay this night, and it will be in the morning that, aif he will 1redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not desire to 2redeem you, then I will redeem you, bas Yahweh lives. Lie down until morning.”
14So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, “aLet it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15And he said, “Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and placed it on her. Then 1she went into the city. 16Then she came to her mother-in-law, and she said, “1How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her. 17She said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty.’” 18Then she said, “Sit, then, my daughter, until you know how the matter falls into place; for the man will not remain quiet until he has finished the matter today.”
Ruth Becomes Boaz’ Wife
4Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, athe kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, 1my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2Then he took ten men of the aelders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3Then he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field awhich belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4“So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘aAcquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, tell me that I may know; for bthere is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5Then Boaz said, “On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also 1acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order ato raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” 6aSo the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7Now this was athe custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. 10“And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so athat the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” 11And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be alike Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall 1achieve 2excellence in Ephrathah and shall 3proclaim your name in Bethlehem. 12“Moreover, may your house be like the house of aPerez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.”
13So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And aYahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son. 14Then the awomen said to Naomi, “Blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a 1kinsman redeemer today, and may his name 2be proclaimed in Israel. 15“May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your 1old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you 2,aand is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Generations of David
16Then Naomi took the child 1and put him on her bosom and became his nurse. 17The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18Now these are the generations of Perez: aPerez became the father of Hezron,
19and Hezron became the father of Ram, and Ram became the father of Amminadab, 20and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of 1Salmah, 21and Salmon became the father of Boaz, and Boaz became the father of Obed, 22and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.