Ruth 1

Naomi Widowed

1Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.H3117H8199H8199H7458H776H376H1035H3063H3212H1481H7704H4124H802H8147H11212And 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 entered the land of Moab and remained there.H8034H376H458H8034H802H5281H8034H8147H1121H4248H3630H673H1035H3063H935H7704H41243Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.H458H5281H376H4191H7604H8147H11214And 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.H5375H802H802H4125H8034H259H6204H8034H8145H7327H3427H6235H81415Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.H4248H3630H4191H8147H802H7604H8147H3206H3766Then 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 visited His people in giving them food.H6965H3618H7725H7704H4124H8085H7704H4124H3068H6485H5971H5414H38997So 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.H3318H4725H8147H3618H3212H1870H7725H776H30638And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.H5281H559H8147H3618H3212H7725H802H517H1004H3068H6213H2617H6213H41919"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.H3068H5414H4672H4496H802H1004H376H5401H5375H6963H105810And they said to her, "[No,] but we will surely return with you to your people."H559H7725H597111But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?H5281H559H7725H1323H3212H1121H4578H58212"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,H7725H1323H3212H2204H376H559H3426H8615H376H3915H3205H112113would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me. "H7663H3860H1431H5702H3860H376H1323H4843H3966H3027H3068H3318

Ruth’s Loyalty

14And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.H5375H6963H1058H6204H5401H2545H7327H169215Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law."H559H2994H7725H5971H430H7725H310H299416But 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.H7327H559H6293H5800H7725H310H3212H3212H3885H3885H5971H5971H430H43017"Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if [anything but] death parts you and me."H4191H4191H6912H3068H6213H3254H4194H650418When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.H7200H553H3212H2308H169619So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came about when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"H8147H3212H935H1035H935H1035H5892H1949H559H528120And she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.H559H7121H5281H7121H4755H7706H3966H484321"I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?"H1980H4392H3068H7725H7387H7121H5281H3068H6030H7706H748922So 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 the beginning of barley harvest.H5281H7725H7327H4125H3618H7725H7704H4124H935H1035H8462H8184H7105