Ruth 1
1Now there came a time of famine while judges were ruling in the land of Israel. A man from Bethlehem of Judah, his wife, and his two sons left to live in the country of Moab.H3117H8199H8199H7458H776H376H1035H3063H3212H1481H7704H4124H802H8147H11212The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and their two sons were named Mahlon and Chilion - Ephrathites from Bethlehem of Judah. They journeyed to the country of Moab and lived there for some time.H8034H376H458H8034H802H5281H8034H8147H1121H4248H3630H673H1035H3063H935H7704H41243Then Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons.H458H5281H376H4191H7604H8147H11214Each of her sons married Moabite women: one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After they lived there about ten years,H5375H802H802H4125H8034H259H6204H8034H8145H7327H3427H6235H81415both Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving Naomi alone with neither her husband nor her two sons.H4248H3630H4191H8147H802H7604H8147H3206H3766She and her daughters-in-law prepared to return from the country of Moab, because she had heard while living there how the Lord had come to the aid of his people, giving them relief.H6965H3618H7725H7704H4124H8085H7704H4124H3068H6485H5971H5414H38997So she left the place where she had been, along with her two daughters-in-law, and they traveled along the return road to the land of Judah.H3318H4725H8147H3618H3212H1870H7725H776H30638But along the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Each of you go back home. Return to your mother's house. May the Lord show his gracious love to you, as you have shown me and our loved ones who have died.H5281H559H8147H3618H3212H7725H802H517H1004H3068H6213H2617H6213H41919May the Lord grant each of you security in your new husbands' households." Then she kissed them good-bye, and they cried loudly.H3068H5414H4672H4496H802H1004H376H5401H5375H6963H105810They both replied to her, "No! We will go back with you to your people."H559H7725H597111But Naomi responded, "Go back, my daughters. Why go with me?Are there still sons to be born to me as future husbands for you?H5281H559H7725H1323H3212H1121H4578H58212So go on back, my daughters! Be on your way! I'm too old to remarry. If I were to say that I'm hoping for a husband tonight and then also bore sons this very night,H7725H1323H3212H2204H376H559H3426H8615H376H3915H3205H112113would you wait for them until they were grown?Would you refrain from marriage for them?No, my daughters! I'm more deeply grieved than you, because the Lord is working against me!"H7663H3860H1431H5702H3860H376H1323H4843H3966H3027H3068H331814They began to cry loudly again. So Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth remained with her.H5375H6963H1058H6204H5401H2545H7327H169215Naomi said to Ruth, "Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law!"H559H2994H7725H5971H430H7725H310H299416But Ruth answered, "Stop urging me to abandon you and to turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I'll go. Wherever you live, I'll live. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God.H7327H559H6293H5800H7725H310H3212H3212H3885H3885H5971H5971H430H43017Where you die, I'll die and be buried. May the Lord do this to me - and more - if anything except death comes between you and me."H4191H4191H6912H3068H6213H3254H4194H650418When Naomi observed Ruth's determination to travel with her, she ended the conversation.H7200H553H3212H2308H169619So they continued on until they reached Bethlehem. Now when the two of them arrived in Bethlehem, the entire town got excited at the news of their arrival and they asked one another, "Can this be Naomi?"H8147H3212H935H1035H935H1035H5892H1949H559H528120But Naomi replied, "Don't call me 'Naomi'! Call me 'Mara'! That's because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.H559H7121H5281H7121H4755H7706H3966H484321I left here full, but the Lord brought me back empty. So why call me 'Naomi'?After all, the Lord is against me, and the Almighty has broken me."1H1980H4392H3068H7725H7387H7121H5281H3068H6030H7706H748922So Naomi returned to Bethlehem from the country of Moab, along with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabite woman. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.H5281H7725H7327H4125H3618H7725H7704H4124H935H1035H8462H8184H7105
Columbus, OH
