波阿斯去到城门，坐在那里，波阿斯所说那个有买赎权的近亲刚巧路过那里。波阿斯说：“喂，老兄，过来坐一下吧。”他就过去坐下来了。

    波阿斯又邀请城里的十个长老，对他们说：“请坐在这里。”他们就坐下来了。

    他对那个有买赎权的近亲说：“从摩押地回来的拿俄米，现在要卖我们族兄以利米勒的那块地。

    我想把这一件事告诉你，请你在众民的长老，还有在座的各位面前，把它买下来吧。如果你肯赎就赎，假如不肯，就说出来，让我知道；因为除了你当赎它以外，我是第一候补。”那人说：“我肯赎。”

    波阿斯说：“你从拿俄米手中买下那块地的时候，你也得娶已死的人的妻子摩押女子路得，使已死的人的名字留在他的产业上。”

    那有买赎权的近亲说：“那我就不能赎它了，只怕损害了我的产业。你可以赎我当赎的，因为我没有办法赎了。”

    从前在以色列，无论买赎或是交易，决定什么事，当事人就要脱鞋给对方。这是以色列中作证的方式。

    那有买赎权的近亲对波阿斯说：“你自己买下来吧。”就把鞋脱下来。

    波阿斯对长老和众人说：“今天你们都是见证人，所有属于以利米勒、基连和玛伦的，我都从拿俄米手中买下来了。

    我也娶了玛伦的妻子摩押女子路得作妻子，使已死的人的名字留在他的产业上，免得他的名字在本族本乡中除掉。今天你们都是见证人。”

    聚集在城门的众人和长老都说：“我们都是见证人。愿耶和华使进你家的这女人，像建立以色列家的拉结和利亚二人一样。愿你在以法他显大，在伯利恒扬名。

    愿耶和华从这少妇赐你后裔，使你的家像他玛从犹大所生法勒斯的家一般。”

   于是波阿斯娶了路得作妻子，与她亲近。耶和华使她怀孕生了一个儿子。

    妇女对拿俄米说：“耶和华是应当称颂的，因为他今天没有断绝你有买赎权的近亲，愿他在以色列中扬名。

    他必苏醒你的生命，养你的老，因为他是爱你的媳妇所生的；有她比有七个儿子更好。”

    拿俄米把孩子接过来，抱在怀中，作他的保姆。

    邻近的妇女要给他起名字，说：“拿俄米生了孩子了。”就给他起名叫俄备得；这俄备得是耶西的父亲，耶西是大卫的父亲。

注：

Redeem - vt. 赎回；弥补；履行；兑现；偿还；解救

Redeemer - n. 买回者；赎当者；赎身者；救世主

Family Redeemer - 在希伯来人的古代，一位亲近的亲属，可以娶去世了的亲人的太太为妻子。这样他们就能继承去世了的亲人的财产。而这第二次婚姻的孩子是属于那位去世了的亲人，目的是让那位已经去世了亲属继续有孩子。当这第二次婚姻的孩子长大以后，那位去世了的亲属的财产全部归这个孩子。

Perez - 他的历史是记载在创世纪第38章。他也是因为经过这样的家属赎买而出生的。

讨论问题：

• 1. 为什么波阿斯不直接一下子就娶路得为妻子？

  2. 当时人们确立一项协议的时候是以什么为证据的？

  3. 为什么那城里的妇女要祝福路得的婆婆拿俄米？

  4. 你是不是因为这文章里的最后一句话而感到高兴？你知道这个名叫“大卫”的人吗？

So Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. When the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, Boaz called out to him, "Come over here, friend. I want to talk to you." So they sat down together. 2 Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. 3 And Boaz said to the family redeemer, "You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative. 4 I felt that I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don't want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you." The man replied, "All right, I'll redeem it." 5 Then Boaz told him, "Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way, she can have children who will carry on her husband's name and keep the land in the family." 6 "Then I can't redeem it," the family redeemer replied, "because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it." 7 In those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. 8 So the other family redeemer took off his sandal as he said to Boaz, "You buy the land." 9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and to the crowd standing around, "You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of my dead relatives. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today." 11 Then the leaders and all the people standing there replied, "We are witnesses! May the LORD make the woman who is now coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you be great in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the LORD give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah." 13 So Boaz married Ruth and took her home to live with him. When he slept with her, the LORD enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 And the women of the town said to Naomi, "Praise the LORD who has given you a family redeemer today! May he be famous in Israel. 15 May this child restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you so much and who has been better to you than seven sons!" 16 Naomi took care of the baby and cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, "Now at last Naomi has a son again!" And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

Notes:

Redeem – to buy back something or someone; to make something that is bad, better or more  acceptable.

Redeemer – a person who exchanges one thing for another. 

Family Redeemer – in ancient times of the Hebrew people, a close relative could marry the wife of a dead relative. This would allow for the dead man’s name to continue through future children. All of the dead man’s property would belong to the family redeemer, but if sons were born to the couple then the sons would own the property in due time.

Perez – His story is found in Genesis 38. His birth is the result of a family redeemer having a son.

QUESTIONS:

• 1. Why could Boaz not simply marry Ruth at the beginning?

  2. What did the men gave to one another as a sign of their agreement?

  3. Why did the women in the town bless Naomi (Ruth's mother-in-law)?

  4. Do you happen to know why the last verse in our story is important? What is about the man named David?