Rut 4 | EE | STEP | In the morning, Boaz went up to the gate of the town and he sat down. The kinsman-redeemer that Boaz knew came to the gate. Boaz said to him, ‘Come here, my friend, and sit down.’ So, the man went to Boaz and the man sat down.

Ruth 4

Boaz marries Ruth

1 In the morning, Boaz went up to the gate of the town and he sat down. The kinsman-redeemer that Boaz knew came to the gate. Boaz said to him, ‘Come here, my friend, and sit down.’ So, the man went to Boaz and the man sat down. ^{▼▼4:1 The gate of the town was an important place in the town. People met here to buy and to sell things. They also met to agree things about the law.}

2 Boaz chose ten important men from the town and he said, ‘Sit here.’ So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, ‘Naomi has returned from Moab. She wants to sell our brother Elimelech’s piece of land. 4 I thought that I should tell you about this. Now I ask you, in front of these important people, will you buy this land? If you want to buy it, then you should buy it. If you do not want to buy it, then you must tell me. Then I will know what you want to do. It is right for you to buy it. If you do not buy the land, then I can buy it.’ The kinsman-redeemer said, ‘I will buy it.’

5 Then Boaz said, ‘On the day that you buy the land from Naomi and Ruth, you must marry Ruth. Then the name of Elimelech will stay with the land.’

6 When Boaz said that, the kinsman-redeemer replied. ‘I cannot buy the land’, he said. ‘My family might lose my own land when I die. You buy the land yourself. I cannot buy it.’ ^{▼▼4:6 The kinsman-redeemer might marry Ruth and have a son. If the kinsman-redeemer had no other sons, then Ruth’s son would receive all his land. His land would then be in Elimelech’s family. This would not be any different for Boaz. But Boaz wanted to be kind to Ruth and Naomi.}

7 At this time, in Israel, when a man sold land he removed his shoe. Then he gave it to the man who had bought the land. So then, everyone could see that the first man had sold the land. They had agreed this in the law.

8 So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘You buy the land.’ And he removed his shoe.

9 Boaz said to all the important people, ‘You have all seen today that I have bought the land from Naomi. I have bought all the land of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I will also marry Ruth, from Moab, who was the wife of Mahlon. His name and his land will stay together. Now his name will remain in his family. And this town will not lose his name. Today you have seen all this happen.’

11 Then the important men and all the other people at the gate said, ‘We have seen all that has happened. We want God to be good to the woman who is coming into your home. We pray that he will make her like Rachel and Leah. They made the family of Israel large. We pray that you will become an important man in Ephrathah. And we pray that you will become famous in Bethlehem.

12 God gave children to Perez. Perez was the son of Tamar and Judah. We pray that God will give children to you by this young woman like that.’ ^{▼▼4:12 Rachel and Leah were the wives of Jacob. God had promised that Israel would be his people. He promised that the 12 sons of Rachel and Leah would begin large families. These families would be the 12 important families in Israel.} ^{▼▼4:12 Perez was one of Boaz’s ancestors. His father, Judah, had been a kinsman-redeemer for Tamar. The family of Judah (and Perez) became important in Israel. The family of Boaz also became important. King David was in this family.}

The family of David

13 Boaz married Ruth. God did good things for her and she had a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, ‘Thank God! Today, he did not let you have no kinsman-redeemer. We pray that Ruth’s son will become famous everywhere in Israel! 15 He will cause you to feel young again. He will be good to you when you are old. Ruth loves you. And she is better for you than seven sons would be. And now she has had this boy.’

16 Naomi took the child. She held him in her arms. She was good to him as she would be to her own son. 17 The women who lived there said, ‘Naomi has a son.’ They called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.

18 So this is the family of Perez.

Perez was the father of Hezron.

19 Hezron was the father of Ram.

Ram was the father of Amminadab.

20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.

Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

21 Salmon was the father of Boaz.

Boaz was the father of Obed.

22 Obed was the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of David.