Ruth:4:1-12
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Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there ;
and behold ,
the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by .
So Boaz said , "
Come aside ,
friend ,
sit down here ."
So he came aside and sat down .
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And he took ten men of the elders of the city ,
and said , "
Sit down here ."
So they sat down .
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Then he said to the close relative , "
Naomi ,
who has come back from the country of Moab ,
sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech .
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And I thought to inform you ,
saying , "
Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people .
If you will redeem it ,
redeem it ;
but if you will not redeem it ,
then tell me ,
that I may know ;
for there is no one but you to redeem it ,
and I am next after you ."'
And he said , "
I will redeem it ."
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Then Boaz said , "
On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi ,
you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess ,
the wife of the dead ,
to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance ."
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And the close relative said , "
I cannot redeem it for myself ,
lest I ruin my own inheritance .
You redeem my right of redemption for yourself ,
for I cannot redeem it ."
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Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging ,
to confirm anything :
one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other ,
and this was a confirmation in Israel .
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Therefore the close relative said to Boaz , "
Buy it for yourself ."
So he took off his sandal .
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And Boaz said to the elders and all the people , "
You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech '
s ,
and all that was Chilion '
s and Mahlon '
s ,
from the hand of Naomi .
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Moreover ,
Ruth the Moabitess ,
the widow of Mahlon ,
I have acquired as my wife ,
to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance ,
that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate .
You are witnesses this day ."
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And all the people who were at the gate ,
and the elders ,
said , "
We are witnesses .
The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah ,
the two who built the house of Israel ;
and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem .
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May your house be like the house of Perez ,
whom Tamar bore to Judah ,
because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman ."