The Judges & Ruth

Tarie to night, and when morning is come, if he will doe the duetie of a kinsman vnto thee, well, let him doe the kinsmans duetie: but if he will not doe the kinsmans part, then wil I doe the duetie of a kinsman, as the Lord liueth: sleepe vntill the morning.

And she lay at his feete vntill the morning: and she arose before one could know another: for he sayd, Let no man knowe, that a woman came into the floore.

Also he sayd, Bring the sheete that thou hast vpon thee, and holde it. And when she helde it, he measured sixe measures of barly, and layde them on her, and she went into the citie.

And when she came to her mother in law, she sayd, Who art thou, my daughter? And she tolde her all that the man had done to her,

And said, These sixe measures of barly gaue he me: for he sayd to me, Thou shalt not come emptie vnto thy mother in lawe.

Then sayd she, My daughter, sit still, vntill thou knowe how the thing will fall: for the man wil not be in rest, vntill he hath finished the matter this same day.

Then went Boaz vp to the gate, and sate there, and beholde, the kinsman, of whome Boaz had spoken, came by: and he sayd, Ho, snch one, come, sit downe here. And he turned, and sate downe.

Then he tooke ten men of the Elders of the citie, and sayd, Sit ye downe here. And they sate downe.

And he said vnto ye kinsman, Naomi, that is come againe out of ye countrey of Moab, wil sell a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelechs.

And I thought to aduertise thee, saying, Buy it before the assistants, and before the Elders of my people. If thou wilt redeeme it, redeeme it: but if thou wilt not redeeme it, tel me: for I know that there is none besides thee to redeeme it, and I am after thee. Then he answered, I wil redeeme it.

Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou mnst also buy it of Ruth the Moabitesse the wife of the dead, to stirre vp the name of the dead, vpon his inheritance.

And the kinsman answered, I can not redeeme it, lest I destroy mine owne inheritance: redeeme my right to thee, for I can not redeeme it.

Now this was the maner beforetime in Israel, concerning redeeming and changing, for to stablish all things: a man did plucke off his shooe, and gaue it his neighbour, and this was a sure witnes in Israel.

Therefore the kinsman sayd to Boas, Buy it for thee: and he drew off his shooe.

And Boaz sayd vnto the Elders and vnto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I haue bought all that was Elimelechs, and all that was Chilions and Mahlons, of the hand of Naomi.

And moreouer, Ruth the Moabitesse the wife of Mahlon, haue I bought to be my wife, to stirre vp the name of the dead vpon his inheritance, and that the name of the dead be not put out from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the Elders sayd, We are witnesses: the Lord make the wife that commeth into thine house, like Rahel and like Leah, which twaine did build the house of Israel: and that thou mayest doe worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem,

And that thine house be like the house of Pharez ( whom Thamar bare vnto Iudah) of the seede which the Lord shall giue thee of this yong woman.

So Boaz tooke Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in vnto her, the Lord gaue that she conceiued, and bare a sonne.

And the women sayd vnto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, and his name shalbe continued in Israel.

And this shall bring thy life againe, and cherish thine olde age: for thy daughter in lawe which loueth thee, hath borne vnto him, and she is better to thee then seuen sonnes.

And Naomi tooke the childe, and layde it in her lap, and became nource vnto it.

And the women her neighbours gaue it a name, saying, There is a childe borne to Naomi, and called the name thereof Obed: the same was the father of Ishai, the father of Dauid.

These now are ye generations of Pharez: Pharez begate Hezron,

And Hezron begate Ram, and Ram begate Amminadab,