Ruth 1
1 There was a famine during the time when the judges ruled Israel, so a man left Bethlehem in Judah and went to live in exile in the country of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.
And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land: and there went a certain man of Beth-lechem-judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 His name was Elimelech, and his wife's name Naomi. His sons were called Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Na'omi, and the name of his two sons Machlon and Kilyon, Ephrathites of Beth-lechem-judah. And they came into the fields of Moab, and remained there.
3 However, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
Thereupon died Elimelech Na'omi's husband; and she was left, with her two sons.
4 The sons married Moabite women. One was called Orpah, the other was called Ruth. After about ten years,
And they took themselves wives of the women of Moab; the name of one was 'Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years.
5 both Mahlon and Chilion died. Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.
And then died also both of these, Machlon and Kilyon, and the woman was left [deprived] of her two children and her husband.
6 So she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the country of Moab and return home because she had heard that the Lord had blessed his people there with food.
Then did she arise with her daughters-in-law, and returned homeward from the fields of Moab; for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had thought of his people in giving them bread.
7 She left the place where she had been living and with her two daughters-in-law set out on the road back to the land of Judah.
Therefore she went forth out of the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law [were] with her; and they went on their way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 However, as they left, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Each of you, go back to your mother's homes, and may the Lord be as kind to you as you have been to me, and to those who have died.
Then said Na'omi unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each one to her mother's house: may the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 May the Lord give you a good home with another husband.” She kissed them, and they all started to cry loudly.
May the Lord grant unto you that ye may find rest, each one in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 “No! We want to go back with you to your people,” they replied.
And they said unto her, [No, ] for truly we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 “Why do you want to go back with me?” Naomi asked. “I'm not able to have any more sons for you to marry.
Then said Na'omi, Return back, my daughters; why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may become your husbands?
12 Go back home, my daughters, because I'm too old to marry again. Even if I were to sleep with a new husband tonight and had sons,
Return back, my daughters, go; for I am too old to become [the wife] of any man; yea, if I were even to think, I have hope; should I even obtain this night a husband, and should also bear sons:
13 would you wait for them to grow up? Would you decide you weren't going to marry anyone else? No. The whole situation is more bitter for me than it is for you, for the Lord has turned against me!”
Would ye wait in hopes for them till they were grown? would ye debar yourselves for them so as not to become the wives of any man? not so, my daughters; for I feel much more bitter pain than you; because the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.
14 They started crying loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth held on tightly to Naomi.
And they lifted up their voice and wept a long time; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth cleaved unto her.
15 “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back home with her,” said Naomi.
And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is returned back unto her people, and unto her gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law.
16 But Ruth replied, “Please don't keep on telling me to leave you and go back. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.
But Ruth said, Urge me not to leave thee, to return from following thee; for whither thou goest, will I go; and where thou lodgest, will I lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me harshly if I let anything but death separate us!”
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; may the Lord do so to me, and may he so continue, if aught but death shall part me from thee.
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped telling Ruth to go home.
When she thus saw that she was persisting to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.
19 So the two of them walked on until they reached Bethlehem. When they arrived there, the whole town got excited. “Is this Naomi?” the women asked.
So these two went until they came to Beth-lechem. And it came to pass, when they entered Beth-lechem, that all the city was in commotion about them, and people said, Is this Na'omi?
20 She said to them, “Don't call me Naomi! Call me Mara, for the Almighty has treated me very bitterly.
And she said unto them, Call me not Na'omi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I left here full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has condemned me, when the Almighty has brought disaster on me?”
I went out full, but empty hath the Lord brought me home again; why then will ye call me Na'omi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath sent me affliction?
22 This is the way that Naomi returned from Moab with Ruth, the Moabite, her daughter-in-law. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
So did Na'omi return, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who had returned out of the fields of Moab; and they came to Beth-lechem at the beginning of the barley-harvest.
