Liber Ruth, 4

1. ascendit 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 devertit et sedit

1. Then 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.

2. tollens autem Booz decem viros de senioribus civitatis dixit ad eos sedete hic

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

3. quibus residentibus locutus est ad propinquum partem agri fratris nostri Helimelech vendit Nœmi quæ reversa est de regione moabitide

3. They 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.

4. quod 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 tibi displicet hoc ipsum indica mihi ut sciam quid facere debeam nullus est enim propinquus excepto te qui prior es et me qui secundus sum at ille respondit ego agrum emam

4. I 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.

5. cui dixit Booz quando emeris agrum de manu mulieris Ruth quoque Moabitidem quæ uxor defuncti fuit debes accipere ut suscites nomen propinqui tui in hereditate sua

5. And 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.

6. qui respondit cedo jure propinquitatis neque enim posteritatem familiæ meæ delere debeo tu meo utere privilegio quo me libenter carere profiteor

6. He 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.

7. hic autem erat mos antiquitus in Israël inter propinquos et si quando alter alteri suo jure cedebat ut esset firma concessio solvebat homo calciamentum suum et dabat proximo suo hoc erat testimonium cessionis in Israël

7. Now 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.

8. dixit ergo propinquus Booz tolle calciamentum quod statim solvit de pede suo

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

9. at ille majoribus natu et universo populo testes inquit vos estis hodie quod possederim omnia quæ fuerunt Helimelech et Chellion et Maalon tradente Nœmi

9. And 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:

10. et Ruth Moabitidem uxorem Maalon in coniugium sumpserim ut suscitem nomen defuncti in hereditate sua ne vocabulum ejus de familia sua ac fratribus et populo deleatur vos inquam hujus rei testes estis

10. And 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.

11. respondit 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 Ephrata et habeat celebre nomen in Bethleem

11. Then 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:

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

12. And 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.

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

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

14. dixeruntque mulieres ad Nœmi benedictus Dominus qui non est passus ut deficeret successor familiæ tuæ et vocaretur nomen ejus in Israël

14. And 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.

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

15. And 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.

16. susceptumque Nœmi puerum posuit in sinu suo et nutricis ac gerulæ officio fungebatur

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

17. vicinæ autem mulieres congratulantes ei et dicentes natus est filius Nœmi vocaverunt nomen ejus Obed hic est pater Isai patris David

17. And 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.

18. hæ sunt generationes Phares Phares genuit Esrom

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

19. Esrom genuit Aram Aram genuit Aminadab

19. Esron begot Aram, Aram begot Aminadab,

20. Aminadab genuit Naasson Naasson genuit Salma

20. Aminadab begot Nahasson, Nahasson begot Salmon,

21. Salma genuit Booz Booz genuit Obed

21. Salmon begot Booz, Booz begot Obed,

22.

22. Obed begot Isai, Isai begot David.