Ruth 4:1–11

¹And Boaz hath gone up to the gate, and sitteth there, and lo, the redeemer is passing by of whom Boaz had spoken, and he saith, ‘Turn aside, sit down here, such a one, such a one;’ and he turneth aside and sitteth down. ²And he taketh ten men of the elders of the city, and saith, ‘Sit down here;’ and they sit down. ³And he saith to the redeemer, ‘A portion of the field which is to our brother, to Elimelech, hath Naomi sold, who hath come back from the fields of Moab; ⁴and I said, I uncover thine ear, saying, Buy before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people; if thou dost redeem—redeem, and if none doth redeem—declare to me, and I know, for there is none save thee to redeem, and I after thee.’ And he saith, I redeem it.’ ⁵And Boaz saith, ‘In the day of thy buying the field from the hand of Naomi, then from Ruth the Moabitess, wife of the dead, thou hast bought it, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance.’ ⁶And the redeemer saith, ‘I am not able to redeem it for myself, lest I destroy mine inheritance; redeem for thyself—thou—my right of redemption, for I am not able to redeem.’ ⁷And this is formerly in Israel for redemption and for changing, to establish anything: a man hath drawn off his sandal, and given it to his neighbour, and this is the testimony in Israel. ⁸And the redeemer saith to Boaz, ‘Buy it for thyself,’ and draweth off his sandal.

⁹And Boaz saith to the elders, and to all the people, ‘Witnesses are ye to-day that I have bought all that is to Elimelech, and all that is to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi; ¹⁰and also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, I have bought to myself for a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance; and the name of the dead is not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place; witnesses ye are to-day.’ ¹¹And all the people who are in the gate say—also the elders—‘Witnesses! Jehovah make the woman who is coming in unto thy house as Rachel and as Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and do thou virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim the Name in Beth-Lehem;