Ruth 4:1–12

Then went Boaz up to ^athe gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, ^bthe kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. ²And he took ten men of ^cthe elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. ³And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: ⁴And ^†I thought to advertise thee, saying, ^dBuy it ^ebefore the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. ⁵Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, ^fto raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. ^6gAnd the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. ^7hNow this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning ⁱchanging, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. ⁸Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. ⁹And 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 ^jChilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, ^jthe wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, ^kto raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. ¹¹And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did ^lbuild the house of Israel: and ^||do thou worthily in ^mEphratah, and ^†be famous in Beth-lehem: ¹²And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, ⁿwhom Tamar bare unto Judah, of ^othe seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.