Boaz Will Redeem Ruth

3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek ^[a]security for you, that it may be well with you? ² Now is not Boaz ^(A)our ^[b]kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. ³ Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ It shall be when he lies down, that you shall ^[c]notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.” ⁵ She said to her, “^(B)All that you say I will do.”

⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. ⁷ When Boaz had eaten and drunk and ^(C)his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. ⁸ It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and ^[d]bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. ⁹ He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a ^[e]close relative.” ¹⁰ Then he said, “^(D)May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ^[f]ask, for all my people in the ^[g]city know that you are ^(E)a woman of excellence. ¹² Now it is true I am a ^[h]close relative; however, there is a ^[i]relative closer than I. ¹³ Remain this night, and when morning comes, ^(F)if he will ^[j]redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to ^[k]redeem you, then I will redeem you, ^(G)as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.”

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, “^(H)Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ Again he said, “Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then ^[l]she went into the city. ¹⁶ When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “^[m]How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” ¹⁸ Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter ^[n]turns out; for the man will not rest until he has ^[o]settled it today.”

The Marriage of Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, ^(I)the ^[p]close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, ^[q]friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² He took ten men of the ^(J)elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the ^[r]closest relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land ^(K)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought to ^[s]inform you, saying, ‘^(L)Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if ^[t]not, tell me that I may know; for ^(M)there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” ⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order ^(N)to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.” ^6 (O)The ^[u]closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would ^[v]jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.”

⁷ Now this was ^(P)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. ⁸ So the ^[w]closest relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. ⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so ^(Q)that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the ^[x]court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” ¹¹ All the people who were in the ^[y]court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home ^(R)like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve ^[z]wealth in Ephrathah and ^[aa]become famous in Bethlehem. ¹² Moreover, may your house be like the house of ^(S)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the ^[ab]offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And ^(T)the Lord ^[ac]enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ Then the ^(U)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a ^[ad]redeemer today, and may his name ^[ae]become famous in Israel. ¹⁵ May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you ^[af](V)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

The Line of David Began Here

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child ^[ag]and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. ¹⁷ The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Perez: ^(W)to Perez ^[ah]was born Hezron, ¹⁹ and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, ²⁰ and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, ²¹ and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, ²² and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.

Elkanah and His Wives

1 Now there was a certain man from ^(A)Ramathaim-zophim from the ^(B)hill country of Ephraim, and his name was ^(C)Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had ^(D)two wives: the name of one was ^(E)Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ Now this man would go up from his city ^(F)yearly ^(G)to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in ^(H)Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there. ⁴ When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he ^(I)would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters; ⁵ but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, ^(J)but the Lord had closed her womb. ⁶ Her rival, however, ^(K)would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. ⁷ It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat. ⁸ Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? ^(L)Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

⁹ Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of ^(M)the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ She, ^[a]greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ¹¹ She ^(N)made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed ^(O)look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a ^[b]son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and ^(P)a razor shall never come on his head.”

¹² Now it came about, as she ^[c]continued praying before the Lord, that Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ As for Hannah, ^(Q)she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, “^(R)How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.” ¹⁵ But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman ^[d]oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I ^(S)have poured out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not ^[e]consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and ^[f]provocation.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, “^(T)Go in peace; and may the God of Israel ^(U)grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” ¹⁸ She said, “^(V)Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and ^(W)her face was no longer sad.

Samuel Is Born to Hannah

¹⁹ Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned again to their house in ^(X)Ramah. And Elkanah ^[g]had relations with Hannah his wife, and ^(Y)the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ It came about ^[h]in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “^(Z)Because I have asked him of the Lord.”

²¹ Then the man Elkanah ^(AA)went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. ²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will ^(AB)bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and ^(AC)stay there forever.” ^23 (AD)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best ^[i]to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only ^(AE)may the Lord confirm His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴ Now when she had weaned him, ^(AF)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to ^(AG)the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young. ²⁵ Then ^(AH)they slaughtered the bull, and ^(AI)brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ She said, “Oh, my lord! ^(AJ)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. ^27 (AK)For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. ^28 (AL)So I have also ^[j]dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is ^[k]dedicated to the Lord.” And ^(AM)he worshiped the Lord there.

The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of ^(A)Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister ^(B)Martha. ² It was the Mary who ^(C)anointed ^(D)the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³ So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “^(E)Lord, behold, ^(F)he whom You love is sick.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for ^(G)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved ^(H)Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. ⁷ Then after this He *said to the disciples, “^(I)Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples *said to Him, “^(J)Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking ^(K)to stone You, and are You going there again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “^(L)Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” ¹¹ This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our ^(M)friend Lazarus ^(N)has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” ¹² The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will ^[a]recover.” ¹³ Now ^(O)Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of ^[b]literal sleep. ¹⁴ So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” ^16 (P)Therefore Thomas, who is called ^[c](Q)Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

¹⁷ So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb ^(R)four days. ¹⁸ Now ^(S)Bethany was near Jerusalem, about ^[d]two miles off; ¹⁹ and many of ^(T)the Jews had come to ^(U)Martha and Mary, ^(V)to console them concerning their brother. ^20 (W)Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but ^(X)Mary ^[e]stayed at the house. ²¹ Martha then said to Jesus, “^(Y)Lord, ^(Z)if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that ^(AA)whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” ²³ Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha *said to Him, “^(AB)I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “^(AC)I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me ^(AD)will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are ^[f](AE)the Christ, the Son of God, even ^[g](AF)He who comes into the world.”

²⁸ When she had said this, she ^(AG)went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “^(AH)The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she *got up quickly and was coming to Him.

³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but ^(AI)was still in the place where Martha met Him. ^31 (AJ)Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and ^(AK)consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “^(AL)Lord, ^(AM)if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and ^(AN)the Jews who came with her also weeping, He ^(AO)was deeply moved in spirit and ^[h](AP)was troubled, ³⁴ and said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus ^(AQ)wept. ³⁶ So ^(AR)the Jews were saying, “See how He ^(AS)loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not this man, who ^(AT)opened the eyes of the blind man, ^[i]have kept this man also from dying?”

³⁸ So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a ^(AU)cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time ^[j]there will be a stench, for he has been dead ^(AV)four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus *said to her, “^(AW)Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they removed the ^(AX)stone. Then Jesus ^(AY)raised His eyes, and said, “^(AZ)Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² I knew that You always hear Me; but ^(BA)because of the ^[k]people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that ^(BB)You sent Me.” ⁴³ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came forth, ^(BC)bound hand and foot with wrappings, and ^(BD)his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

^45 (BE)Therefore many of the Jews ^(BF)who came to Mary, and ^(BG)saw what He had done, believed in Him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the ^(BH)Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.

Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

⁴⁷ Therefore ^(BI)the chief priests and the Pharisees ^(BJ)convened a ^(BK)council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many ^[l](BL)signs. ⁴⁸ If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our ^(BM)place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, ^(BN)Caiaphas, ^(BO)who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, ⁵⁰ nor do you take into account that ^(BP)it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” ⁵¹ Now he did not say this ^[m]on his own initiative, but ^(BQ)being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also ^(BR)gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they ^(BS)planned together to kill Him.

⁵⁴ Therefore Jesus ^(BT)no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called ^(BU)Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

⁵⁵ Now ^(BV)the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover ^(BW)to purify themselves. ⁵⁶ So they ^(BX)were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now ^(BY)the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.