4Boaz went to the gate of the town^g and sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz said, “Come over here^J and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. ²Then Boaz took ten men of the town’s elders^h and said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. ³He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the territory of Moab, is selling the portion of the field that belonged to our brother Elimelech.ⁱ ⁴I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do^K not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn’t anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”

“I want to redeem it,” he answered.

⁵Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you will acquire^A Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.”^B^j

⁶The redeemer replied, “I can’t redeem it myself, or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can’t redeem it.”

⁷At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal^k and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.

⁸So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy back the property yourself.”

⁹Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. ¹⁰I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”

¹¹All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah,^l who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

JOr said, “Come here Mr. So-and-so
KSome , , , ; other read if he does
A Naomi and from
B tradition reads Naomi, I will have already acquired from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead man, the privilege of raising up the name of the dead man on his property

Cross references

g Ru 3:11–12; 2Sm 15:2; 18:4,24,33; 19:8; Ps 127:5
h Dt 19:12; 21:3–6; 1Kg 21:8; Pr 31:23
i Lv 25:25
j Gn 38:6–11; Lv 25:23–34; Dt 25:5–10
k Dt 25:8–10
l Gn 29:25–30; 35:16–18