1 Boaz went to the public place in the town and sat down. When the kinsman-redeemer came along, the one he had mentioned, Boaz said: »Come here, and sit down.« He came and was seated.

2 Then he got ten of the responsible men of the town, and said: »Be seated here. And they took their seats.«

3 Then Boaz said to the close relative: »Naomi has come back from the country of Moab. She is offering for a price that bit of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4 »I am giving you a chance to take it with the approval of those seated here, the responsible men of my people. If you are ready to do what it is right for a relative to do, then do it. If you will not do it, say so to me now. There is no one who has the right to do it but you, and after you, myself.« And he said: »I will do it.«

5 Then Boaz said: »On the day when you take this field, you will have to take with it Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, so that you may keep the name of the dead living in his heritage.«

6 The near relative said: »I am not able to redeem it for myself, for fear of damaging the heritage I have. You may do it in my place, for I am not able to do it myself.«

7 It was the custom for the seller to take off his sandal and give to the buyer to settle a sale or exchange of property. By doing this, Israelites showed that the matter was settled.

8 So when the man said to Boaz: »You buy it,« he took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz.

9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the others there: »You are all witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and to his sons Chilion and Mahlon.

10 »In addition, Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, becomes my wife. This will keep the property in the dead man’s family, and his family line will continue among his people in his hometown. Today you are witnesses to this.«

11 The leaders and the others said: »Yes, we are witnesses. May Jehovah make your wife become like Rachel and Leah, who bore many children to Jacob. May you become rich in the clan of Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

12 »May your family be like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave to Judah, from the offspring that Jehovah may give you by this young woman.«

13 Boaz took Ruth to be his wife. He slept with her and Jehovah enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son.

14 The women said to Naomi: »A blessing on Jehovah. He has not let you be without a near relative. May his name be great in Israel.

15 »He will be a giver of new life to you. He will be your comforter when you are old, because your daughter-in-law, who in her love for you is better than seven sons, has given birth to him.«

16 Naomi took the child in her arms and took care of it.

17 Her neighbor women gave it a name. They said: »Naomi has a child.« They gave him the name of Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron.

19 And Hezron became the father of Ram, and Ram became the father of Amminadab.

20 And Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of Salmon.

21 Salmon became the father of Boaz, and Boaz became the father of Obed.

22 And Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.