Now it came about in the days
awhen the judges
1governed
, that there was ba famine
in the land
. And a certain man
cof Bethlehem
in Judah
went
to sojourn
in the land
of Moab
2with his wife
and his two
sons
.
The name of the man
was Elimelech
, and the name
of his wife
, Naomi
; and the names
of his two
sons
were Mahlon
and Chilion
, Ephrathites
of Bethlehem
in Judah
. Now they aentered
the land
of Moab
and remained
there
.
Then Elimelech, Naomi's
husband
, died
; and she was left
with her two
sons
.
They took for themselves
Moabite
women
as wives
; the name
of the one
was Orpah
and the name
of the other
Ruth
. And they lived
there
about ten
years
.
Then 1both Mahlon
and Chilion
also
died
, and the woman
was bereft
of her two
children
and her husband
.
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law
that she might return
from the land
of Moab
, for she had heard
in the land
of Moab
that the LORD
had avisited
His people
in bgiving
them food
.
So she departed from the place
where
she was, and her two
daughters-in-law
with her; and they went
on the way
to return
to the land
of Judah
.
And Naomi said
to her two
daughters-in-law
, "Go
, return
each
of you to her mother's
house
. aMay the LORD
deal
kindly
with you as you have dealt
with the dead
and with me.
"May the LORD grant
that you may find
rest
, each
in the house
of her husband
." Then she kissed
them, and they lifted
up their voices
and wept
.
And they said to her, "No, but we will surely
return
with you to your people
."
But Naomi said
, "Return
, my daughters
. Why
should you go
with me? Have I yet
sons
in my womb
, that athey may be your husbands
?
"Return, my daughters
! Go
, for I am
too
old
to have
a husband
. If
I said
I have
hope
, if I should even
have
a husband
tonight
and also
bear
sons
,
would you therefore wait
until
they were grown
? Would you therefore
refrain
from marrying
? No
, my daughters
; for it is 1harder
for me than
for you, for athe hand
of the LORD
has gone
forth
against me."
And they lifted up their voices
and wept
again
; and Orpah
kissed
her mother-in-law
, but Ruth
clung
to her.
Then she said, "Behold
, your sister-in-law
has gone
back
to her people
and her agods
; return
after
your sister-in-law
."
But Ruth said
, "Do not urge
me to leave
you or turn
back
from following
you; for where
you go
, I will go
, and where
you lodge
, I will lodge
. Your people
shall be my people
, and your God
, my God
.
"Where you die
, I will die
, and there
I will be buried
. Thus
may athe LORD
do
to me, and worse
, if
anything but death
parts
you and me."
When ashe saw that she was determined
to go
with her, she 1said
no
more to her.
So they both went
until
they came
to Bethlehem
. And when they had come
to Bethlehem
, aall
the city
was stirred
because
of them, and 1the women said
, "Is this
Naomi
?"
She said to them, "Do not call
me 1Naomi
; call
me 2Mara
, for 3 athe Almighty
has dealt
very
bitterly
with me.
"I went out full
, but athe LORD
has brought
me back
empty
. Why
do you call
me Naomi
, since the LORD
has witnessed
against me and 1the Almighty
has afflicted
me?"
So Naomi returned
, and with her Ruth
the Moabitess
, her daughter-in-law
, who returned
from the land
of Moab
. And they came
to Bethlehem
at athe beginning
of barley
harvest
.