וּבֹעַז עָלָה הַשַּׁעַר וַיֵּשֶׁב שָׁם וְהִנֵּה הַגֹּאֵל עֹבֵר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־בֹּעַז וַיֹּאמֶר סוּרָה שְׁבָה־פֹּה פְּלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי וַיָּסַר וַיֵּשֵׁב

Boaz did not postpone the matter of the redemption. Boaz went up to the gate, the place of judgment, where the dignitaries of the city were present, and sat there, and behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken was passing. He, Boaz, said: Turn aside from wherever you are going and enter, sit here, So-and-So. He turned aside and he sat. The redeemer’s name is not stated here, either because it is not known, or because he acted inappropriately by refusing the redemption.

וַיִּקַּח עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי הָעִיר וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁבוּ־פֹה וַיֵּשֵׁבוּ

He, Boaz, took ten men of the elders of the city, and said: Sit here to serve as judges; and they sat down.

וַיֹּאמֶר לַגֹּאֵל חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר לְאָחִינוּ לֶאֱלִימֶלֶךְ מָכְרָה נָעֳמִי הַשָּׁבָה מִשְּׂדֵה מוֹאָב

He said to the redeemer: Regarding the tract of land that belonged to our brother, to Elimelekh, Naomi, who has returned from the fields of Moav, is selling, that is, she has put up the land for sale. Naomi and Ruth could not work the field alone, and the money from the sale would help sustain them financially.

וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֶגְלֶה אָזְנְךָ לֵאמֹר קְנֵה נֶגֶד הַיֹּשְׁבִים וְנֶגֶד זִקְנֵי עַמִּי אִם־תִּגְאַל גְּאָל וְאִם־לֹא יִגְאַל הַגִּידָה לִּי וְאֵדְעָ כִּי אֵין זוּלָתְךָ לִגְאוֹל וְאָנֹכִי אַחֲרֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֶגְאָל

I said: I will inform you, saying: Acquire before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you have not heard about it, I hereby inform you that the field is for sale, and you may purchase it officially in a public manner before all those who sit here. If you would redeem, redeem, as you have the first right to do so. But if you will not redeem, tell me, and I will know. For there is no one besides you to redeem, and I am after you. According to the laws of redemption, there is no other potential redeemer in the family apart from myself. If you refuse to redeem it, I will purchase it instead. He, the man, said: I will redeem it, by purchasing it.

וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז בְּיוֹם־קְנוֹתְךָ הַשָּׂדֶה מִיַּד נָעֳמִי וּמֵאֵת רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה אֵשֶׁת־הַמֵּת קָנִיתָ לְהָקִים שֵׁם־הַמֵּת עַל־נַחֲלָתוֹ

The anonymous redeemer agreed to purchase the field belonging to the family of his relatives, but he did not realize that whoever redeems the field must also marry the young surviving widow, and thereby preserve the family by having more children. This is not a biblical obligation, as according to Torah law the redemption of an inheritance of a relative is not automatically accompanied by the obligation to marry his widow. Nevertheless, the practice was that anyone who takes over the inheritance of a relative must also marry his wife, similar to levirate marriage. Boaz said: On the day of your acquisition of the field from the hand of Naomi, and from Ruth the Moavite, you acquire the wife of the dead; the practice of redemption includes marrying her in order to perpetuate the name of the dead upon his inheritance. By marrying the widow of the deceased childless husband and fathering children with her, the name of the deceased will be perpetuated.

וַיֹּאמֶר הַגֹּאֵל לֹא אוּכַל לִגְאָל־לִי פֶּן־אַשְׁחִית אֶת־נַחֲלָתִי גְּאַל־לְךָ אַתָּה אֶת־גְּאֻלָּתִי כִּי לֹא־אוּכַל לִגְאֹל

The redeemer said: I cannot redeem for myself, lest I ruin my inheritance, harm my family; you redeem my redemption in my place, as I cannot redeem it. Apparently, he did not want to marry Ruth because she was a foreign woman, and worse, a Moavite. Alternatively, he was wary of bringing a younger wife into his home as a rival to his current wife, a move that would cause marital strife.

וְזֹאת לְפָנִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל עַל־הַגְּאוּלָּה וְעַל־הַתְּמוּרָה לְקַיֵּם כָּל־דָּבָר שָׁלַף אִישׁ נַעֲלוֹ וְנָתַן לְרֵעֵהוּ וְזֹאת הַתְּעוּדָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

This was the tradition in Israel, in the ancient past, concerning redemption of fields and concerning exchange of goods, in order to validate any matter: A man removed his shoe, and he gave it to another; that action of removing one’s shoe was the testament in Israel. It was a symbolic expression of the completion of a transaction.

וַיֹּאמֶר הַגֹּאֵל לְבֹעַז קְנֵה־לָךְ וַיִּשְׁלֹף נַעֲלוֹ

The redeemer said to Boaz: Acquire it for yourself; I waive my right to the purchase; and he removed his shoe, to indicate that he was prepared to validate the arrangement.

וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לַזְּקֵנִים וְכָל־הָעָם עֵדִים אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם כִּי קָנִיתִי אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר לֶאֱלִימֶלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר לְכִלְיוֹן וּמַחְלוֹן מִיַּד נָעֳמִי

Boaz said to the elders and to all the people: You are witnesses this day that I have acquired everything that was Elimelekh’s and everything that was Kilyon’s and Mahlon’s from the hand of Naomi.

וְגַם אֶת רוּת הַמֹּאֲבִיָּה אֵשֶׁת מַחְלוֹן קָנִיתִי לִי לְאִשָּׁה לְהָקִים שֵׁם־הַמֵּת עַל־נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלֹא־יִכָּרֵת שֵׁם־הַמֵּת מֵעִם אֶחָיו וּמִשַּׁעַר מְקוֹמוֹ עֵדִים אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם

And Ruth the Moavite, wife of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, similar to the levirate marriage discussed in the Torah.Here too my intention is to perpetuate the name of the dead upon his inheritance, both by buying his field as well as through the descendants of his widow, and thus the name of the dead will not be eliminated from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Any children from the match will be named after the deceased, and in this manner his existence will be continued in this world in a certain sense. You are witnesses today. Boaz thereby invited the elders and the people to validate the proceedings.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־בַּשַּׁעַר וְהַזְּקֵנִים עֵדִים יִתֵּן ה' אֶת־הָאִשָּׁה הַבָּאָה אֶל־בֵּיתֶךָ כְּרָחֵל וּכְלֵאָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ שְׁתֵּיהֶם אֶת־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וַעֲשֵׂה־חַיִל בְּאֶפְרָתָה וּקְרָא־שֵׁם בְּבֵית לָחֶם

All the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said: We are witnesses, and we all affirm your statement. Since Boaz intended to marry Ruth, they also blessed him: May the Lord grant that the woman who is coming into your house be like Rachel and like Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel. Prosper in Efrat, and proclaim a name in Bethlehem. Some explain that the last phrase means that you should merit offspring from this marriage in Bethlehem, which was near Efrata, or the very same place (see 1:2).

וִיהִי בֵיתְךָ כְּבֵית פֶּרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה תָמָר לִיהוּדָה מִן־הַזֶּרַע אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן ה' לְךָ מִן־הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת

May your house be like the house of Peretz, your ancestor,whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the descendants that the Lord will give you from this young woman.

וַיִּקַּח בֹּעַז אֶת־רוּת וַתְּהִי־לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ וַיִּתֵּן ה' לָהּ הֵרָיוֹן וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן

Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he consorted with her, and the Lord granted her pregnancy, and she bore a son.

וַתֹּאמַרְנָה הַנָּשִׁים אֶל־נָעֳמִי בָּרוּךְ ה' אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִשְׁבִּית לָךְ גֹּאֵל הַיּוֹם וְיִקָּרֵא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

Following the birth of a son to Ruth, the women said to Naomi: Blessed be the Lord, who did not leave you today without a redeemer. He is considered the heir of your deceased son, as he preserves his memory and existence in this world, like the child born from a levirate marriage. In this manner, he redeems you, as though you had given birth to an additional son. And let his name be called in Israel. Now your family lineage will be continued.

וְהָיָה לָךְ לְמֵשִׁיב נֶפֶשׁ וּלְכַלְכֵּל אֶת־שֵׂיבָתֵךְ כִּי כַלָּתֵךְ אֲשֶׁר־אֲהֵבַָתֶךְ יְלָדַתּוּ אֲשֶׁר־הִיא טוֹבָה לָךְ מִשִּׁבְעָה בָּנִים

Furthermore, may he be for you a restorer of life merely by virtue of his existence, and one to sustain your old age. When he grows up and you grow old, you can rely upon him to care for you. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better for you than seven sons, bore him.

וַתִּקַּח נָעֳמִי אֶת־הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּשִׁתֵהוּ בְחֵיקָהּ וַתְּהִי־לוֹ לְאֹמֶנֶת

Naomi took the child, and she placed him in her bosom, despite the lack of any direct blood relationship between her and the boy, and was a nurse for him. She felt an unusual affinity to this boy for two reasons: First, he carried her deceased son’s legacy, and in a certain sense, his very existence. Second, he was the son of Ruth, who was like a daughter to her, and perhaps even closer than that, as Naomi considered Ruth her successor.

וַתִּקְרֶאנָה לּוֹ הַשְּׁכֵנוֹת שֵׁם לֵאמֹר יֻלַּד־בֵּן לְנָעֳמִי וַתִּקְרֶאנָה שְׁמוֹ עוֹבֵד הוּא אֲבִי־יִשַׁי אֲבִי דָוִד

In fact, Naomi was treated as the mother of the child by those in her immediate surroundings. The women neighbors called him a name, saying: A son is born to Naomi. They called his name Oved; he is the father of Yishai, who was the father of David.

וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת פָּרֶץ פֶּרֶץ הוֹלִיד אֶת־חֶצְרוֹן

These are the generations of the family of Peretz: Peretz begot Hetzron;

וְחֶצְרוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת־רָם וְרָם הוֹלִיד אֶת־עַמִּינָדָב

and Hetzron begot Ram, and Ram begot Aminadav;

וְעַמִּינָדָב הוֹלִיד אֶת־נַחְשׁוֹן וְנַחְשׁוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת־שַׂלְמָה

and Aminadav begot Nahshon, the prince of the tribe of Judah at the time of the exodus from Egypt, and Nahshon begot Salmon;

וְשַׂלְמוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת־בֹּעַז וּבֹעַז הוֹלִיד אֶת־עוֹבֵד

and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Oved;

וְעֹבֵד הוֹלִיד אֶת־יִשָׁי וְיִשַׁי הוֹלִיד אֶת־דָּוִד

and Oved begot Yishai, and Yishai begot David.