The Levirate law
1Meanwhile Boaz went to the town gate and sat there waiting for the closer relative about whom he had spoken to Ruth. When he saw him coming, he called him by name and said, “Come here and sit down.” And so he did.
2Boaz picked out ten from the city elders and asked them to sit with them, which they did. 3Then he said to the other man who also had right of redemption, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4I thought of bringing this matter to you before our elders here, because as the closer kin you have more right to lay claim to it. But if you have no wish to redeem it, let me know because I am next to you in line.”
The man replied, “I am willing to put in my claim. I will redeem it.” 5Boaz continued, “If you buy the land from Naomi, you will also have to take the Moabite Ruth, widow of the late heir, and her sons will inherit the name and the land of the dead.”
6The man said, “Then I cannot redeem it, because I might endanger my own estate. Redeem it yourself.”
7It used to be the custom in Israel that for a contract of redemption or exchange to become binding, one party had to take off his sandal and give it to the other. This act legalized transactions.
8So the man took off his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.”
9Boaz turned to the elders and all those present. “This day you are witnesses that I buy from Naomi all the holdings of Elimelech, Chilion and Mahlon. 10I also take Mahlon’s widow, Ruth the Moabite, as my wife to raise up a family for her late husband, so that the name of the dead will be restored to his inheritance and be present among his brothers when they gather at the gate of his town. Do you witness this today?”
11The elders and all those at the gate answered, “We witness. May Yahweh make the woman coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah and be of good standing in Bethlehem. 12And through the offspring Yahweh will give you by this woman, may your house become like that of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
Obed was the father of Jesse, who was David’s father
13So Ruth was taken by Boaz and became his wife. Yahweh made her conceive and give birth to a son. 14The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Yahweh who has provided you today with an heir. May he become famous in Israel! 15He will be your comfort and stay in your old age, for he is born of a daughter-in-law who loves you and is worth more than seven sons.”
16Naomi took the child as her own and became his nurse. 17And the women of the neighborhood gave him his name, saying, “A son has been born for Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, who was David’s father.
18This, then, is Perez’s family line:
Perez was the father of Hezron, 19Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab,
20Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon,
21Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed,
22Obed of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.
