Ruth 4 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there. Sure enough, the family redeemer he'd mentioned came walking by. Boaz called out, "Hey, friend — come sit down here." So he came over and sat down.

Boaz gathered ten of the town's elders and said, "Sit down here." They sat down.

Then he said to the family redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek."

"I thought I should bring this to your attention and say: Buy it in the presence of these witnesses and the elders of my people. If you're going to redeem it, redeem it. But if you won't, tell me, so I know — because no one has the right to redeem it except you, and I'm next in line." The man said, "I'll redeem it."

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man's widow — to continue the dead man's name with his property."

The redeemer said, "Then I can't redeem it — it would mess up my own inheritance. You take my right of redemption. I can't do it."

Now in earlier times in Israel, to finalize any transaction involving redemption or exchange, one person would take off a sandal and hand it to the other. This was how agreements were made official in Israel.

So when the redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself," he took off his sandal.

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelek, Kilion, and Mahlon."

"I am also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, as my wife — to continue the dead man's name with his property, so that his name won't disappear from his family or from the records of his town. You are witnesses today."

All the people at the gate, along with the elders, said, "We are witnesses! May Yahweh make the woman coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem."

"May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah — through the children Yahweh gives you by this young woman."

So Boaz married Ruth, and she became his wife. When they came together, Yahweh enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

The women said to Naomi, "Praise Yahweh! He hasn't left you without a family redeemer today. May this child become famous in Israel!"

"He will restore your life and sustain you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law, who loves you — and who is better to you than seven sons — has given birth to him."

Naomi took the child, held him close, and became his caretaker.

The neighborhood women said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.

This is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron.

Hezron was the father of Ram, and Ram was the father of Amminadab.

Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz, and Boaz was the father of Obed.

Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.