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His name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi; their two sons were called Mahlon and Chilion. They were descendants of Ephraim’s tribe from Bethlehem in Judah. They had settled and made lives for themselves in Moab,
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but soon after, Elimelech died leaving Naomi in the care of her sons.
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before Mahlon and Chilion died also. Naomi was left alone, without her husband and two sons.
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Word had reached Moab that the Eternal One had once again brought life back to the land of Israel and blessed His people with food. Naomi prepared to return with her daughters-in-law. With Orpah and Ruth at her side, she began her journey back to Judah, leaving the place where she had lived.
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Naomi (to Orpah and Ruth): You have accompanied me far enough; you must both return to Moab. Go home to your mothers’ care and your people. May the Eternal show His loyal love to you just as you demonstrated it to my dead sons and me.
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Naomi: Go back to your homes, my daughters. What possible reason would you have for returning with me? Do you think there are more sons inside of me? Will you marry these unborn sons?
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At this Orpah and Ruth wailed and wept again. Then Orpah kissed Naomi, said goodbye, and returned the way she had come. Yet Ruth refused to let go of Naomi.
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Naomi: Look at your sister-in-law. She has returned to live with her people and to worship her gods; go and follow her.
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When Naomi heard this and saw Ruth’s resolve, she stopped trying to talk her out of returning to Judah.
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The two women went on together to Bethlehem. News of their arrival spread throughout Bethlehem. In fact, the whole community was humming with the report, with the women exclaiming, “Could it really be the same Naomi who left us so long ago?”
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Naomi: Do not call me Naomi ever again, for I am no longer pleasant. Call me Mara instead, for I am filled with bitterness because the Highest One has treated me bitterly.
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I left this place full, in spite of the famine, but the Eternal has brought me back empty from a plentiful land. Why would you call me “Pleasant” when the Eternal has testified against me, and the Highest One has brought disaster upon me?
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This was how Naomi came into Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, from Moab. It was at the beginning of the barley harvest when they returned to the land.
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Now Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech, had a relative in Bethlehem, an honorable, wealthy man named Boaz.
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One day Ruth (the foreign woman who returned with Naomi from Moab) approached Naomi with a request. Ruth: Let me go out into the field and pick up whatever grain is left behind the harvesters. Maybe someone will be merciful to me. Naomi: Go ahead, my daughter.
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Overseer: She is the Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from Moab.
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Then she carried it back to the city where her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Ruth took out the leftover food from what she could not eat of her midday meal and gave it to Naomi.
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Naomi (to Ruth): Where did you go to work today? Where did you glean all this from? May God bless the person who gave you this kind of attention. So Ruth told Naomi the story of all that had happened to her that day and on whose land she had worked. Ruth: The man I worked with today is named Boaz.
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Naomi: May the Eternal bless this man. He has not given up showing His covenant love toward the living and the dead. This man is closely related to us—he is a kinsman-redeemer of our family.
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Naomi: It is best that you do as he says. Stay with his young women who bind the sheaves. They will keep you safe from the hostility and danger of working in another’s field.
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Naomi (to Ruth): My child, it is my responsibility to find a husband and place of rest for you—a place where you will find rest and contentment.
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Boaz: Spend the rest of the night here. In the morning, I will give him the chance to act as your kinsman-redeemer and redeem you and your family. If he is willing to do this, good. But if he is not willing to fulfill his responsibility, then as the Eternal One lives, I promise I will redeem your family by marrying you. Now remain here until morning comes.
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When Ruth returned to Naomi’s home, her mother-in-law asked her daughter what happened. Ruth related all that Boaz had said and done.
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Naomi: Now you must wait, daughter. We must wait and see what happens. Be at peace. That man will not rest today until this is resolved.
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Boaz (to the kinsman-redeemer): You have heard of Naomi? She is the woman who recently returned from Moab. She is transferring her rights to the plot of land belonging to her deceased husband—our relative—Elimelech.
