13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will mperform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, nas the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.”

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, o“Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Also he said, “Bring the 4shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then 5she went into the city.

16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, 6“Is that you, my daughter?”

Then she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”

18 Then she said, p“Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, athe close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, 1friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of bthe elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land cwhich belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to 2inform you, saying, d‘Buy it back ein the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if 3you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; ffor there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ”

And he said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, gto 4perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

6 hAnd the close relative 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.”

7 iNow this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. 9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, jthat the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from 5his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”