Ruth 1

Naomi Widowed

1Now it came about in the days 1when the judges 2governed, that there was 3a famine in the land. And a man 4of Bethlehem in Judah went to reside in the land of Moab 5with his wife and his two sons. 2The 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. So they 6entered the land of Moab and remained there. 3Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 4And 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. 5Then 7both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, because she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had 8visited His people by 9giving them food. 7So 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. 8But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to 10your mother’s house. 11May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9May the Lord grant that you may find a place of rest, each one in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and wept. 10However, they said to her, “No, but we will return with you to your people.” 11But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that 12they may be your husbands? 12Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I were even to have a husband tonight and also give birth to sons, 13would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is much more bitter for me than for you, because 13the hand of the Lord has come out against me.”

Ruth’s Loyalty

14And they raised their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her 14gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16But Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May 15the Lord do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates 16me from you.” 18When 17she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her about it.

19So they both went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, 18all the city was stirred because of them, and 19the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20But she said to them, “Do not call me 20Naomi; call me 21Mara, for 2223the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21I went away full, but 24the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me and 25the Almighty has afflicted me?”

22So 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 26the beginning of barley harvest.