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.
Ngezinsuku kubusa abahluleli, kwaba lendlala elizweni. Ngakho indoda ethile yaseBhethilehema koJuda kanye lomkayo lamadodana abo amabili, basuka bayahlala elizweni lamaMowabi okwesikhatshana.
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.
Ibizo lalindoda lalingu-Elimeleki, elomkakhe linguNawomi, amadodana akhe amabili ayengoMaheloni loKhiliyoni. Babengama-Efrathi aseBhethilehema koJuda. Baya eMowabi bayahlala khona.
3 However, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
U-Elimeleki, umkaNawomi wafa, wasesala lamadodana akhe womabili.
4 The sons married Moabite women. One was called Orpah, the other was called Ruth. After about ten years,
Athatha abafazi baseMowabi, omunye wayethiwa ngu-Opha omunye ethiwa nguRuthe. Sebehlale lapho okweminyaka elitshumi,
5 both Mahlon and Chilion died. Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.
bobabili uMaheloni loKhiliyoni labo bafa, uNawomi wasesala engaselamadodana kanye lomkakhe.
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.
Wathi esizwa eseMowabi ukuthi uThixo wayesesize abantu bakhe ngokubapha ukudla, uNawomi kanye labomalukazana bakhe balungisela ukubuyela kibo.
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.
Wasuka endaweni ayekade ehlala kuyo, labomalukazana bakhe bobabili, wangena indlela eyayizabasa emuva elizweni lamaJuda.
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.
UNawomi wasesithi kubomalukazana bakhe bobabili, “Buyelani emuva, ngulowo lalowo aye emzini kanina. Engani uThixo angalenzela umusa onjengalowo elingitshengise wona kanye labomkenu asebedlule.
9 May the Lord give you a good home with another husband.” She kissed them, and they all started to cry loudly.
Sengathi uThixo angenza ukuba ngulowo lalowo athole inhlalo enhle nxa esendele kwenye indoda.” Wasebanga, basebekhala kakhulu
10 “No! We want to go back with you to your people,” they replied.
bathi kuye, “Sizahamba lawe ebantwini bakini.”
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.
Kodwa uNawomi wathi, “Buyelani ngekhaya madodakazi ami. Kambe lingabe lihambelani lami? Ngingazala amanye amadodana na angaba ngomkenu?
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,
Buyelani ngekhaya madodakazi ami. Sengigugile, angingeke ngibe ngisazuza enye indoda. Loba bekungabe kulethemba lokuthi ngende loba bengingaba lendoda ngabona lobubusuku ngizale amadodana,
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!”
lingawamelela aze akhule na? Lingahlala lingendanga lilindele wona na? Hatshi, madodakazi ami. Kubuhlungu kakhulu lokho kimi okwedlula kini ngoba ingalo kaThixo isingihlanekele!”
14 They started crying loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth held on tightly to Naomi.
Bekuzwa lokho bakhala njalo. U-Opha wasesanga uninazala wamvalelisa, kodwa uRuthe wabambelela kuye.
15 “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back home with her,” said Naomi.
UNawomi wathi, “Khangela, unyanewenu usebuyela kwabakibo kanye labonkulunkulu bakhe. Buyela laye.”
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.
URuthe waphendula wathi, “Ungangincengi ukuba ngikutshiye loba ukuba ngikufulathele. Lapho oya khona ngizakuya khona, lalapho ozahlala khona ngizahlala khona. Abantu bakini bazakuba ngabakithi loNkulunkulu wakho uzakuba nguNkulunkulu wami.
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!”
Lapho ozafela khona lami ngizafela khona njalo ngizangcwatshelwa khona. Sengathi uThixo angangihlanekela nxa ngingehlukana lawe ngenxa yolunye ulutho olungesikufa.”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped telling Ruth to go home.
Kwathi uNawomi esebonile ukuthi uRuthe uzimisele ukuhamba laye, waseyekela ukumcindezela.
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.
Basebehamba bobabili baze bayafika eBhethilehema. Bathi befika eBhethilehema, umuzi wonke waba lokuxokozela ngabo, kwathi abesifazane bababaza besithi, “Angabe enguNawomi lo na?”
20 She said to them, “Don't call me Naomi! Call me Mara, for the Almighty has treated me very bitterly.
Yena wathi kubo, “Lingangibizi ngokuthi nginguNawomi. Wothani nginguMara, ngoba uSomandla wenze impilo yami yaba munyu.
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?”
Ngasuka lapha ngigcwele, kodwa uThixo usengibuyise ngingelalutho. Lingangibizelani ngokuthi nginguNawomi? UThixo ungehlisele uhlupho; uSomandla ungehlisele okubi.”
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.
Ngakho uNawomi wabuyela ngokunjalo eBhethilehema evela eMowabi. Wafika ephelekezelwa nguRuthe umalukazana wakhe waseMowabi. Bafika ngesikhathi sokuqalisa ukuvuna ibhali.
