1 And Boaz has gone up to the gate, and sits there, and behold, the redeemer is passing by of whom Boaz had spoken, and he says, “Turn aside, sit down here, such a one, such a one”; and he turns aside and sits down. 2 And he takes ten men from [the] elderly of the city, and says, “Sit down here”; and they sit down. 3 And he says to the redeemer, “A portion of the field which [is] to our brother, to Elimelech, has Naomi sold, who has come back from the fields of Moab; 4 and I said, I uncover your ear, saying, Buy before the inhabitants and before [the] elderly of my people; if you redeem—redeem, and if none redeems—declare [it] to me and I know, for there is none except you to redeem, and I after you.” And he says, “I redeem [it].” 5 And Boaz says, “In the day of your buying the field from the hand of Naomi, then from Ruth the Moabitess, wife of the dead, you have bought [it], to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance.” 6 And the redeemer says, “I am not able to redeem [it] for myself, lest I destroy my inheritance; redeem for yourself—you—my right of redemption, for I am not able to redeem.” 7 And this [is] formerly in Israel for redemption and for exchanging, to establish anything: a man has drawn off his sandal, and given [it] to his neighbor, and this [is] the Testimony in Israel. 8 And the redeemer says to Boaz, “Buy [it] for yourself,” and draws off his sandal. 9 And Boaz says to the elderly, and [to] all the people, “You [are] witnesses today that I have bought all that [belonged] to Elimelech, and all that [belonged] to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi; 10 and also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, I have bought to myself for a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance; and the name of the dead is not cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place; witnesses you [are] today.” 11 And all the people who [are] in the gate say—also the elderly, “Witnesses! YHWH makes the woman who is coming to your house as Rachel and as Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and you do virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim the name in Beth-Lehem; 12 and let your house be as the house of Perez (whom Tamar bore to Judah), of the seed which YHWH gives to you of this young woman.” 13 And Boaz takes Ruth, and she becomes his wife, and he goes in to her, and YHWH gives conception to her, and she bears a son. 14 And the women say to Naomi, “Blessed [is] YHWH who has not let a redeemer cease to you today, and his name is proclaimed in Israel, 15 and he has been to you for a restorer of life, and for a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who has loved you—who is better to you than seven sons—has borne him.” 16 And Naomi takes the boy, and lays him in her bosom, and is to him for a nurse; 17 and the neighboring women give a name to him, saying, “There has been a son born to Naomi,” and they call his name Obed; he [is] father of Jesse, father of David. 18 And these are generations of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, 19 and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminidab, 20 and Amminidab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon, 21 and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, 22 and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
Ruth · Literal Standard Version
Ruth 4 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Boaz
The kind landowner of Bethlehem who redeemed and married Ruth the Moabite.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 2-4; 1 Chron. 2:11-12; Matt. 1:5
Chilion
Son of Elimelech and Naomi who married a Moabite woman and died in Moab, whose property Boaz bought; Orpah is his wife by implication, since Ruth was Mahlon's widow.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 1:2; Ruth 1:5; Ruth 4:9
Hezron
A son of Perez who carried Judah's royal line down into the years of Egypt.
Cited in the guide: Gen. 46:12; Ruth 4:18; 1 Chron. 2:5, 9; Matt. 1:3
Jesse
The Bethlehemite whose youngest son David was anointed king of Israel.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Isa. 11:1; Ruth 4:22; Matt. 1:5-6
Mahlon
Son of Elimelech and Naomi who died in Moab and whose widow Ruth Boaz acquired as his wife to raise up Mahlon's name on his inheritance.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 1:2; Ruth 1:5; Ruth 4:9
Nahshon
Leader of the tribe of Judah in the wilderness, first to bring his offering.
Cited in the guide: Num. 1:7; 2:3; 7:12; Ruth 4:20; Matt. 1:4
Obed
Son of Boaz and Ruth, and grandfather of King David.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 4:13-22; 1 Chron. 2:12; Matt. 1:5; Luke 3:32
Perez
Born of Judah and Tamar, he became the head of the leading clan of Judah.
Cited in the guide: Gen. 38; Ruth 4:18; 1 Chron. 2:4-5; Matt. 1:3
Ram
A little-known link in the chain, faithfully recorded between Hezron and Amminadab.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 4:19; 1 Chron. 2:9-10; Matt. 1:3-4; Luke 3:33
Ruth
The loyal Moabite widow whose devotion made her great-grandmother of King David.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 1-4; Matthew 1:5
Salmon
He married Rahab of Jericho and fathered Boaz as Israel settled the land.
Cited in the guide: Ruth 4:20-21; 1 Chron. 2:11; Matt. 1:4-5
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Deuteronomy 25:7; Ruth 3:12; Deuteronomy 16:18; Job 29:7; Amos 5:10–12
- 2 Proverbs 31:23; 1 Kings 21:8; Acts 6:12; Exodus 21:8; Lamentations 5:14
- 3 Psalm 112:5; Proverbs 13:10
- 4 Jeremiah 32:7–12; 2 Corinthians 8:21; Leviticus 25:25–29; Romans 12:17; Philippians 4:8
- 5 Matthew 22:24; Genesis 38:8; Deuteronomy 25:5–6; Ruth 3:12–13; Luke 20:28
- 6 Ruth 3:13; Leviticus 25:25
- 7 Deuteronomy 25:7–10
- 9 Genesis 23:16–18; Jeremiah 32:10–12
- 10 Deuteronomy 25:6; Ephesians 5:25; Genesis 29:27; Hosea 12:12; Isaiah 8:2–3
- 11 Genesis 29:32–30:24; Matthew 2:6; Micah 5:2; Genesis 35:16–20; Psalm 127:3–5
- 12 Genesis 38:29; 1 Chronicles 2:4; 1 Samuel 2:20; Genesis 46:12; Matthew 1:3
- 13 Genesis 29:31; Genesis 33:5; Psalm 127:3; Ruth 3:11; Genesis 25:21
- 14 Luke 1:58; Matthew 1:5–20; Genesis 12:2; Isaiah 11:1–4; Ruth 4:21–22
- 15 Isaiah 46:4; Psalm 55:22; Genesis 45:11; Ruth 2:11–12; Proverbs 18:24
- 17 Luke 1:58–63
- 18 Matthew 1:3–6; 1 Chronicles 2:4–8; Luke 3:33; 1 Chronicles 4:1
- 19 1 Chronicles 2:9–10; Luke 3:33; Matthew 1:4
- 20 Numbers 1:7; Matthew 1:4; Luke 3:32
- 21 Matthew 1:5; Luke 3:32; 1 Chronicles 2:11–12
- 22 Matthew 1:6; 1 Chronicles 2:15; 1 Samuel 16:1; Luke 3:31; Isaiah 11:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences