Rut 4

1Subió Booz a la puerta (de la ciudad) y se sentó allí; y he aquí que pasaba aquel pariente obligado al levirato, de quien Booz había hablado. Le dijo: “Ven aquí y siéntate, fulano.” Y se acercó el hombre y se sentó allí.

2Tomó también diez hombres de los ancianos de la ciudad, y dijo: “Tomad asiento”; y ellos se sentaron.

3Entonces dijo al pariente obligado al levirato: “Noemí, que ha vuelto de los campos de Moab, vende la porción de campo que era de nuestro hermano Elimelec.

4He querido informarte de ello y te propongo: Adquiérela delante de los que están aquí sentados y delante de los ancianos de mi pueblo. Si quieres cumplir con el deber del levirato, hazlo; si no, dímelo, para que yo lo sepa; pues tú eres el pariente más cercano; después de ti vengo yo.” Él respondió: “Yo cumpliré con ese deber.”

5Le dijo entonces Booz: “Cuando adquieras el campo de manos de Noemí, lo adquirirás también de Rut la moabita, mujer del difunto, para resucitar el nombre del difunto sobre su herencia.”

6Replicó el obligado al levirato: “No puedo hacerlo, para no perjudicar mi herencia. Ejerce tú ese derecho que tengo yo, pues yo no puedo hacerlo.”

7Era costumbre antigua en Israel, en casos de levirato y cambios, que para dar validez a todo acto, el uno se quitaba el zapato y lo daba al otro. Esto servía de testimonio en Israel.

8Por eso, el hombre obligado al levirato dijo a Booz: “Adquiérelo tú por tú cuenta.” Y se quitó el zapato.

9Dijo entonces Booz a los ancianos y a todo el pueblo: “Vosotros sois hoy testigos de que yo he adquirido de mano de Noemí todo lo que era de Elimelec, y todo lo que era de Quelión y Mahalón,

10y que he adquirido también a Rut la moabita, mujer de Mahalón, para que sea mi mujer, a fin de resucitar el nombre del difunto sobre su herencia, y para que el nombre del difunto no se borre de entre sus hermanos, ni de la puerta de su lugar. De eso sois vosotros hoy testigos.”

11Y todo el pueblo que estaba en la puerta, respondió juntamente con los ancianos: “Somos testigos. ¡Haga Yahvé que la mujer que va a entrar en tu casa, sea como Raquel y como Lía, que ambas edificaron la casa de Israel, para que seas poderoso en Efrata y tengas renombre en Betlehem!

12¡Venga a ser tu casa como la casa de Fares, que Tamar le dio a Judá, por la descendencia que Yahvé te diere de esta joven!”

13Tomó Booz a Rut, y ella fue su mujer. Entró a ella, y Yahvé le concedió que concibiera y diera a luz un hijo.

14Entonces decían las mujeres a Noemí: “¡Bendito sea Yahvé, que no te ha negado un redentor el día de hoy! ¡Su nombre sea celebrado en Israel!

15¡Que el consuele tu alma y sea el sostén de tu vejez! Pues tu nuera, que te ama y que para ti vale más que siete hijos, ha dado a luz.”

16Y Noemí tomó al niño, lo puso en su regazo, y le sirvió de aya.

17Y las vecinas la aclamaron diciendo: “A Noemí le ha nacido un hijo”, y le llamaron Obed. Él fue padre de Isaí, padre de David.

18Estas son las generaciones de Fares: Fares engendró a Hesrón;

19Hesrón engendró a Ram, Ram engendró a Aminadab,

20Aminadab engendró a Naasón, Naasón engendró a Salmón.

21Salmón engendró a Booz, Booz engendró a Obed,

22Obed engendró a Isaí, e Isaí engendró a David.

1Ascendit ergo Booz ad portam, et sedit ibi. Cumque vidisset propinquum præterire, de quo prius sermo habitus est, dixit ad eum: Declina paulisper, et sede hic: vocans eum nomine suo. Qui divertit, et sedit.

2Tollens autem Booz decem viros de senioribus civitatis, dixit ad eos: Sedete hic.

3Quibus sedentibus, locutus est ad propinquum: Partem agri fratris nostri Elimelech vendet Noëmi, quæ reversa est de regione Moabitide:

4quod audire te volui, et tibi dicere coram cunctis sedentibus, et majoribus natu de populo meo. Si vis possidere jure propinquitatis, eme, et posside: sin autem displicet tibi, hoc ipsum indica mihi, ut sciam quid facere debeam: nullus enim est propinquus, excepto te, qui prior es, et me, qui secundus sum. At ille respondit: Ego agrum emam.

5Cui dixit Booz: Quando emeris agrum de manu mulieris, Ruth quoque Moabitidem, quæ uxor defuncti fuit, debes accipere: ut suscites nomen propinqui tui in hæreditate sua.

6Qui respondit: Cedo juri propinquitatis: neque enim posteritatem familiæ meæ delere debeo: tu meo utere privilegio, quo me libenter carere profiteor.

7Hic autem erat mos antiquitus in Israël inter propinquos, ut siquando alter alteri suo juri cedebat, ut esset firma concessio, solvebat homo calceamentum suum, et dabat proximo suo: hoc erat testimonium cessionis in Israël.

8Dixit ergo propinquo suo Booz: Tolle calceamentum tuum. Quod statim solvit de pede suo.

9At ille majoribus natu, et universo populo: Testes vos, inquit, estis hodie, quod possederim omnis quæ fuerunt Elimelech, et Chelion, et Mahalon, tradente Noëmi;

10et Ruth Moabitidem, uxorem Mahalon, in conjugium sumpserim, ut suscitem nomen defuncti in hæreditate sua, ne vocabulum ejus de familia sua ac fratribus et populo deleatur. Vos, inquam, hujus rei testes estis.

11Respondit omnis populus, qui erat in porta, et majores natu: Nos testes sumus: faciat Dominus hanc mulierem, quæ ingreditur domum tuam, sicut Rachel et Liam, quæ ædificaverunt domum Israël: ut sit exemplum virtutis in Ephratha, et habeat celebre nomen in Bethlehem:

12fiatque domus tua sicut domus Phares, quem Thamar peperit Judæ, de semine quod tibi dederit Dominus ex hac puella.

13Tulit itaque Booz Ruth, et accepit uxorem: ingressusque est ad eam, et dedit illi Dominus ut conciperet, et pareret filium.

14Dixeruntque mulieres ad Noëmi: Benedictus Dominus, qui non est passus ut deficeret successor familiæ tuæ, et vocaretur nomen ejus in Israël:

15et habeas qui consoletur animam tuam, et enutriat senectutem: de nuru enim tua natus est, quæ te diligit, et multo tibi melior est, quam si septem haberes filios.

16Susceptumque Noëmi puerum posuit in sinu suo, et nutricis ac gerulæ fungebatur officio.

17Vicinæ autem mulieris congratulantes ei, et dicentes: Natus est filius Noëmi: vocaverunt nomen ejus Obed: hic est pater Isai, patris David.

18Hæ sunt generationes Phares: Phares genuit Esron,

19Esron genuit Aram, Aram genuit Aminadab,

20Aminadab genuit Nahasson, Nahasson genuit Salmon,

21Salmon genuit Booz, Booz genuit Obed,

22Obed genuit Isai, Isai genuit David.

1Then Booz went up to the gate, and sat there. And when he had seen the kinsman going by, of whom he had spoken before, he said to him, calling him by his name: Turn aside for a little while, and sit down here. He turned aside, and sat down.

2And Booz taking ten men of the ancients of the city, said to them: Sit ye down here.

3They sat down, and he spoke to the kinsman: Noemi, who is returned from the country of Moab, will sell a parcel of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4I would have thee to understand this, and would tell thee before all that sit here, and before the ancients of my people. If thou wilt take possession of it by the right of kindred: buy it and possess it: but if it please thee not, tell me so, that I may know what I have to do. For there is no near kinsman besides thee, who art first, and me, who am second. But he answered: I will buy the field.

5And Booz said to him: When thou shalt buy the field at the woman’s hand, thou must take also Ruth the Moabitess, who was the wife of the deceased: to raise up the name of thy kinsman in his inheritance.

6He answered: I yield up my right of next akin: for I must not cut off the posterity of my own family. Do thou make use of my privilege, which I profess I do willingly forego.

7Now this in former times was the manner in Israel between kinsmen, that if at any time one yielded his right to another: that the grant might be sure, the man put off his shoe, and gave it to his neighhour; this was a testimony of cession of right in Israel.

8So Booz said to his kinsman: Put off thy shoe. And immediately he took it off from his foot.

9And he said to the ancients and to all the people: You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and Chelion’s, and Mahalon’s, of the hand of Noemi:

10And have taken to wife Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahalon, to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance lest his name be cut off, from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.

11Then all the people that were in the gate, and the ancients answered: We are witnesses: The Lord make this woman who cometh into thy house, like Rachel, and Lia, who built up the house of Israel: that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrata, and may have a famous name in Bethlehem:

12And that the house may be, as the house of Phares, whom Thamar bore unto Juda, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.

13Booz therefore took Ruth, and married her: and went in unto her, and the Lord gave her to conceive and to bear a son.

14And the women said to Noemi: Blessed be the Lord, who hath not suffered thy family to want a successor, that his name should be preserved in Israel.

15And thou shouldst have one to comfort thy soul, and cherish thy old age. For he is born of thy daughter in law: who loveth thee: and is much better to thee, than if thou hadst seven sons.

16And Noemi taking the child laid it in her bosom, and she carried it, and was a nurse unto it.

17And the women her neighbours, congratulating with her and saying: There is a son born to Noemi: called his name Obed: he is the father of Isai, the father of David.

18These are the generations of Phares: Phares begot Esron,

19Esron begot Aram, Aram begot Aminadab,

20Aminadab begot Nahasson, Nahasson begot Salmon,

21Salmon begot Booz, Booz begot Obed,

22Obed begot Isai, Isai begot David.