American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
And he said unto the near kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:
and I thought to {Hebrew: uncover thine ear.}disclose it unto thee, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if {So Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac. Hebrew: he will.}thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I cannot redeem it.
Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel.
So the near kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe.
And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off 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, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and {Or, get thee wealth (or, power)}do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
and let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman.
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son.
And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel.
And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him.
And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of {Hebrew: Ishai.}Jesse, the father of David.
Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat Hezron,
and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat {Hebrew: Salmah.}Salmon,
and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.
And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife.
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face.
And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee: for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
And he said, I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.
Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the {Hebrew: kedeshah, that is, a woman dedicated to impure heathen worship. See Deuteronomy 23:17; Hosea 4:14.}prostitute, that was at Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There hath been no {Hebrew: kedeshah, that is, a woman dedicated to impure heathen worship. See Deuteronomy 23:17; Hosea 4:14.}prostitute here.
And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, There hath been no {Hebrew: kedeshah, that is, a woman dedicated to impure heathen worship. See Deuteronomy 23:17; Hosea 4:14.}prostitute here.
And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be put to shame: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.
And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, {Or, How hast thou made a breach! a breach be upon thee!}Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself? therefore his name was called {That is, A breach.}Perez.
And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zerah.