Ruth 4:1–8

Ruth and Boaz Marry

4Boaz went to the gate of the town ^sand sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz called him by name and said, “Come ^tover here and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. ²Then Boaz took 10 men of the town’s elders ^uand said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. ³He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling a piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. ^v4I thought I should inform you: ^wBuy 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 so. But if you do ^xnot 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 land from Naomi, you will also acquire ^yRuth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.” ^z

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 ^aand 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.”