Booz. sonne, the grandfather of Dauid. 18. VVhose genealogie by this occasion is recited, from Phares the sonne of Iudas the patriarch.

1   Booz therfore went vp to the gate, and sate there. And when he had seene the nigh kinsman passe by, of whom the talke was had before, he said to him: Turne in a litle while, and sitte here: calling him by his name. Who turned in, and sate.

2   And Booz taking ten men of the citie, said to them: Sitte ye here.

3   Who sitting downe, he spake to the nigh kinseman: Noemi, who is returned from the countrie of Moab, wil sel the part of the field belonging to ^note our brother Elimelech.

4   Which I would thee to vnderstand, and would tel thee before al that sitte, and the ancientes of my people. If thou wilt possesse it by the right of nigh kindred: bye, and possesse it. but if it please thee not, tel me the same, that I may know what I ought to doe. For there is no nigh kinseman sauing thee, which art first, and me, who am second. But he answered: I wil bye the field.

5   To whom Booz said: When thou shalt bye the field at the womans hand, thou must take also Ruth the Moabite, which was the wife of the deceased: that thou mayest rayse vp the name of thy kinsman in his inheritance.

6   Who answered: I yeld my right of nigh kindred: for I may not abolish the posteritie of myne owne familie. Doe thou vse my priuiledge, which I professe that I doe willingly forgoe.

7   And ^note this in old time was the maner in Israel betwen kinsemen, that if at any time one yelded to an other his right: that the graunt might be sure, the man put of his shoe, and gaue it to his neighbour. this was a testimonie of yelding in Israel.

8   Booz therfore said to his kinseman: Take of thy shoe. Which immediatly he loosed from his foote.

9   But to the ancientes, and the whole people he said: You are witnesses this day, that I haue purchased al thinges which were Elimelechs; and Chelions and Mahalons, Noemi deliuering them:

10   and haue taken in mariage Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahalon, that I may rayse vp the name of the deceased in his inheritance, lest his name be abolished out of his familie and brethren and people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.

11   Al the people that was in the gate answered, and the ancientes: We are witnesses: Our Lord make this woman, which entereth into thy house, as Rachel, and Lia, which

Booz. builded the house of Israel: that she may be an example of vertue in Ephrata, and may haue a famous name in Bethlehem:

12   and that thy house may be, as the house of Phares, whom Thamar bare to Iudas, of the seede which our Lord shal geue thee of this yong woman.

13   Booz therfore tooke Ruth, and had her to wife: and went in vnto her, and our Lord gaue her to conceiue, and to beare a sonne.

14   And the wemen said to Noemi: Blessed be our Lord, which hath not suffered that there should fayle a successor of thy familie: that his name should be called in Israel.

15   And thou shouldest haue one that may comfort thy soule, and cherish thy old age. For of thy daughter in law is he borne, which wil loue thee: and much better is she to thee, then if thou hadst seuen sonnes.

16   And Noemi taking the child put it in her bosome, and did the office of a nource and of one that should carie him.

17   And the wemen her neighbours congratulating her, and saying: There is a sonne borne to Noemi: called his name Obed: this is ^note the father of Isai, the father of Dauid.

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

19   Esron begat Aram, Aram begat Aminadab,

20   Aminadab begat Nahasson, Nahasson begat Salmon,

21   Salmon begat Booz, Booz begat Obed,

22   Obed begat Isai. Isai begat Dauid.

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