1:1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
1:2 The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
1:3 Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
1:4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,
1:5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
1:6 When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.
1:7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
1:8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
1:9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them and they wept aloud
1:10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
1:11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?
1:12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me–even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons–
1:13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’S hand has gone out against me!”
1:14 At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
1:15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
1:17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
1:18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
1:19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
1:20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.
1:21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
1:22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
1:1 Now in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a man from Bethlehem in Judah went down to dwell as a sojourner in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
1:2 And the man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.
1:3 And Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.
1:4 And they took wives for themselves from among the Moabite women. One’s name was Orpah, and the second’s name was Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years.
1:5 And both Mahlon and Chilion died, and the woman was left without her two children and her husband.
1:6 Then she rose up with her daughters-in-law in order to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that Jehovah had visited His people by giving them food.
1:7 So she went forth from the place where she had been, along with her two daughters-in-law; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
1:8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go and return, each of you, to your mother’s house. May Jehovah deal kindly with you, just as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
1:9 May Jehovah grant you to find rest, each of you in the house of your husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept.
1:10 And they said to her, No, we will return with you to your people.
1:11 And Naomi said, Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
1:12 Return, my daughters, go; for I am too old to have a husband. If I said, I have hope; even if I had a husband tonight and even bore sons;
1:13 Would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having a husband? No, my daughters; it has been far more bitter for me than it should be for you, for the hand of Jehovah has gone forth against me.
1:14 And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
1:15 And she said, Your sister-in-law has now returned to her people and to her gods; return with your sister-in-law.
1:16 But Ruth said, Do not entreat me to leave you and turn away from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you dwell, I will dwell; and your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
1:17 Where you die, I will die; and there will I be buried. Jehovah do so to me, and more as well, if anything but death parts me from you.
1:18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she ceased speaking to her about it.
1:19 So the two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them; and the women said, Is this Naomi?
1:20 And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara; for the All-sufficient One has dealt very bitterly with me.
1:21 I went out full, but Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, when Jehovah has afflicted me and the All-sufficient One has dealt harshly with me?
1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.