Boaz calls a meeting
1That morning, Boaz went to the city gate [1] to wait for Naomi’s closest relative—the man who had the right to marry Ruth, as her “family savior.” [2] When Boaz saw the man coming, he said, “Hey, my friend. Come over here and sit with me.” The man did. 2Boaz invited 10 city leaders to join them. “Come and sit with us,” he said. So, they did.3Boaz told his relative, “Naomi has come back from Moab. She’s selling the land that belonged to her husband, Elimelech. 4I wanted to tell you about it because you’re her closest relative. So, it’s yours if you want to buy it. If you do, then say so in the presence of these witnesses. If not, I’m next in line.” The man said, “I’ll buy it.”
5Boaz said, “There’s one more thing. The property comes with a woman. The day Naomi transfers the property rights to you is the day you’ll gain a wife. You’ll be marrying Ruth, the Moabite widow of Naomi’s son. This will keep the land in the name of Ruth’s first husband.” [3]
6Boaz’s relative said, “Well that’s a deal-breaker. It wouldn’t do me any good to buy property for another man’s family. I’ll pass on this and hand it over to you. So you can decide if you want it. I don’t.”
7Back in those days, when people in Israel transferred property, they sealed the deal with a sandal. The seller handed his sandal to the buyer, to show he was giving up the property rights. [4]
8Boaz’s relative told him, “Buy it for yourself.” Then the man took off a sandal and handed it to Boaz
Boaz buys a wife
9Boaz turned to the others and said, “You’ve all witnessed this transaction. I’ll be acquiring all the property that belonged to Elimelech and his sons Chilion and Mahlon. [5] 10I’m also agreeing to marry Ruth, Mahlon’s widow from Moab. [6] I’ll keep Mahlon’s family name on the property. That way, his name lives on and people here in his hometown won’t forget him. You are witnesses to this transaction.”11City leaders and everyone else who saw what happened said, “We’re witnesses. May the LORD bless this woman who’s coming into your life. May she fill your house with children. May she have as many children as Rachel and Leah, the mothers of this nation of Israel. [7] May you have children here in Ephrathah. [8] And may they make a name for Bethlehem. [9] 12May your children make your family as famous as the Perez family, born to Tamar and Judah. [10]
A boy is born
13Boaz married Ruth. When Ruth got pregnant, the LORD made sure she delivered a son. 14The women in Bethlehem came to Grandma Naomi and said, “Thank the Good LORD for giving you a grandson to carry on your family name. May it be a name that everyone in Israel will remember. 15This little boy will liven up your life and take care of you when you’re old. He’s the son of your daughter-in-law. She’s a woman who loves you and is kinder to you than seven sons ever could have been.Naomi’s Little Helper
16Naomi hugged the child to her body and became a second mother to him. 17Women in the town named the boy. They said, “Naomi has a son, now. So, we’ll call him Obed, [11] which means ‘servant.’ He’s going to be Naomi’s Little Helper.” Obed had a son named Jesse. And Jesse had a son named David. [12]David’s family tree
18This is the family tree of Perez.Perez had a son, Hezron.
19Hezron had a son, Ram.
Ram had a son, Amminadab.
20Amminadab had a son, Nahshon.
Nahshon had a son, Salmon.
21Salmon had a son, Boaz.
Boaz had a son, Obed.
22Obed had a son, Jesse.
Jesse had a son, David. [13]
