ルツ記 1
1 士師の世ををさむる時にあたりて國に饑饉たありければ一箇の人その妻と二人の男子をひきつれてベテレヘムユダを去りモアブの地にゆきて寄寓る
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.
2 その人の名はエリメレクその妻の名はナオミその二人の男子の名はマロンおよびキリオンといふベテレヘムユダのエフラテ人なり 彼等モアブの地にいたりて其處にをりしが
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.
3 ナオミの夫エリメレク死てナオミとその二人の男子のこさる
However, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4 彼等おのおのモアブの婦人を妻にめとる その一人の名はオルパといひ一人の名はルツといふ 彼處にすむこと十年許にして
The sons married Moabite women. One was called Orpah, the other was called Ruth. After about ten years,
5 マロンとキリオンの二人もまた死り 斯ナオミは二人の男子と夫に後れしが
both Mahlon and Chilion died. Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.
6 モアブの地にて彼ヱホバその民を眷みて食物を之にたまふと聞ければその媳とともに起ちてモアブの地より歸らんとし
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.
7 その在ところを出たりその 二人の媳これとともにあり 彼等ユダの地にかへらんと途にすすむ
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.
8 爰にナオミその二人の媳にいひけるは汝らはゆきておのおの母の家にかへれ 汝らがかの死たる者と我とを善く待ひしごとくにねがはくはヱホバまたなんぢらを善くあつかひたまへ
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.
9 ねがはくはヱホバなんぢらをして各々その夫の家にて安身處をえせしめたまへと 乃ちかれらに接吻しければ彼等聲をあげて哭き
May the Lord give you a good home with another husband.” She kissed them, and they all started to cry loudly.
10 之にいひけるは我ら汝とともに汝の民にかへらんと
“No! We want to go back with you to your people,” they replied.
11 ナオミいひけるは女子よ返れ 汝らなんぞ我と共にゆくべけんや 汝らの夫となるべき子猶わが胎にあらんや
“Why do you want to go back with me?” Naomi asked. “I'm not able to have any more sons for you to marry.
12 女子よかへりゆけ 我は老たれば夫をもつをえざるなり 假設われ指望ありといふとも今夜夫を有つとも而してまた子を生むとも
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,
13 汝等これがために其子の生長までまちをるべけんや 之がために夫をもたずしてひきこもりをるべけんや 女子よ然すべきにあらず 我はヱホバの手ののぞみてわれを攻しことを汝らのために痛くうれふるなり
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!”
14 彼等また聲をあげて哭く 而してオルパはその姑に接吻せしがルツは之を離れず
They started crying loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth held on tightly to Naomi.
15 是によりてナオミまたいひけるは視よ汝の妯娌はその民とその神にかへり往く 汝も妯娌にしたがひてかへるべし
“Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back home with her,” said Naomi.
16 ルツいひけるは汝を棄て汝をはなれて歸ることを我に催すなかれ我は汝のゆくところに往き汝の宿るところにやどらん 汝の民はわが民汝の神はわが神なり
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.
17 汝の死るところに我は死て其處に葬らるべし 若死別にあらずして我なんぢとわかれなばヱホバわれにかくなし又かさねてかくなしたまへ
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!”
18 彼 媳が固く心をさだめて己とともに來らんとするを見しかば之に言ふことを止たり
When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped telling Ruth to go home.
19 かくて彼等二人ゆきて終にベテレヘムにいたりしがベテレヘムにいたれる時 邑こぞりて之がためにさわぎたち婦女等是はナオミなるやといふ
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.
20 ナオミかれらにいひけるは我をナオミ(樂し)と呼なかれ マラ(苦し)とよぶべし 全能者痛く我を苦め給ひたればなり
She said to them, “Don't call me Naomi! Call me Mara, for the Almighty has treated me very bitterly.
21 我盈足て出たるにヱホバ我をして空くなりて歸らしめたまふ ヱホバ我を攻め全能者われをなやましたまふに汝等なんぞ我をナオミと呼や
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?”
22 斯ナオミそのモアブの地より歸れる 媳モアブの女ルツとともに歸り來れり 即ち彼ら大麥刈の初にベテレヘムにいたる
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.
