拿俄米和路得

在士师执政的时代,犹大发生了饥荒。有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子从犹大的伯利恒迁到摩押境内寄居。 这个人名叫以利米勒,妻子叫拿俄米,两个儿子分别叫玛伦和基连。他们都是犹大 伯利恒的以法他人。他们来到摩押,就在那里住了下来。 后来,拿俄米的丈夫以利米勒去世了,留下她和两个儿子。 这两个儿子都娶了摩押的女子为妻,一个名叫俄珥巴,一个名叫路得。他们在那里住了大约十年后, 玛伦和基连二人也相继去世,只剩下拿俄米,没有了丈夫,也没有了儿子。

后来,拿俄米在摩押听说耶和华眷顾祂的子民,使他们五谷丰登,就带着两个儿媳妇准备回故乡。 她们离开所居住的地方,启程返回犹大。 拿俄米对两个儿媳妇说:“你们还是各回娘家去吧!愿耶和华恩待你们,就好像你们恩待死去的丈夫和我一样。 愿耶和华使你们都有机会再嫁,找到好归宿。”拿俄米说完了,就亲吻她们。她们都放声大哭, 10 说:“不!我们要跟你一起回你的家乡。” 11 拿俄米说:“我的女儿啊,回娘家去吧!为什么要跟我去呢?难道我还能生儿子做你们的丈夫吗? 12 回去吧!我的女儿啊,走吧!我已经老了,不可能再嫁人了。就算我还有指望,今晚能再结婚生子, 13 难道你们能一直不嫁,等到他们长大吗?不要这样,我的女儿啊!这样你们会很苦,我就更苦了,因为耶和华伸手惩罚我。” 14 她们又放声大哭,俄珥巴就亲吻婆婆,向她道别。然而,路得却依依不舍,不肯离去。

15 拿俄米说:“你看,你嫂嫂已经回她家乡和她拜的神明那里去了,你也跟着嫂嫂回去吧!” 16 路得说:“不要逼我撇你而去。你往哪里去,我也要往哪里去;你住在哪里,我也要住在哪里;你的同胞就是我的同胞,你的上帝就是我的上帝; 17 你死在哪里,我也死在哪里、葬在哪里。只有死才能把我们分开。否则,愿耶和华重重地惩罚我!” 18 拿俄米见路得坚决要跟她走,就不再劝阻她了。

19 于是,二人便一同回到伯利恒。她们进了伯利恒,全城惊动。妇女们问:“这不是拿俄米吗?” 20 拿俄米对她们说:“不要再叫我拿俄米[a]了,叫我玛拉[b]吧!因为全能者叫我过得好苦啊! 21 我曾满满地离开这里,现在耶和华却使我空空地回来。既然耶和华叫我受苦,全能者使我遭遇不幸,为何还叫我拿俄米呢?”

22 拿俄米带着她的儿媳妇——摩押女子路得从摩押回到了伯利恒,那时正是开始收割大麦的季节。

Footnotes

  1. 1:20 拿俄米”意思是“甜”。
  2. 1:20 玛拉”意思是“苦”。

拿俄米和路得

在士師執政的時代,猶大發生了饑荒。有一個人帶著妻子和兩個兒子從猶大的伯利恆遷到摩押境內寄居。 這個人名叫以利米勒,妻子叫拿俄米,兩個兒子分別叫瑪倫和基連。他們都是猶大 伯利恆的以法他人。他們來到摩押,就在那裡住了下來。 後來,拿俄米的丈夫以利米勒去世了,留下她和兩個兒子。 這兩個兒子都娶了摩押的女子為妻,一個名叫俄珥巴,一個名叫路得。他們在那裡住了大約十年後, 瑪倫和基連二人也相繼去世,只剩下拿俄米,沒有了丈夫,也沒有了兒子。

後來,拿俄米在摩押聽說耶和華眷顧祂的子民,使他們五穀豐登,就帶著兩個兒媳婦準備回故鄉。 她們離開所居住的地方,啟程返回猶大。 拿俄米對兩個兒媳婦說:「你們還是各回娘家去吧!願耶和華恩待你們,就好像你們恩待死去的丈夫和我一樣。 願耶和華使你們都有機會再嫁,找到好歸宿。」拿俄米說完了,就親吻她們。她們都放聲大哭, 10 說:「不!我們要跟你一起回你的家鄉。」 11 拿俄米說:「我的女兒啊,回娘家去吧!為什麼要跟我去呢?難道我還能生兒子做你們的丈夫嗎? 12 回去吧!我的女兒啊,走吧!我已經老了,不可能再嫁人了。就算我還有指望,今晚能再結婚生子, 13 難道你們能一直不嫁,等到他們長大嗎?不要這樣,我的女兒啊!這樣你們會很苦,我就更苦了,因為耶和華伸手懲罰我。」 14 她們又放聲大哭,俄珥巴就親吻婆婆,向她道別。然而,路得卻依依不捨,不肯離去。

15 拿俄米說:「你看,你嫂嫂已經回她家鄉和她拜的神明那裡去了,你也跟著嫂嫂回去吧!」 16 路得說:「不要逼我撇你而去。你往哪裡去,我也要往哪裡去;你住在哪裡,我也要住在哪裡;你的同胞就是我的同胞,你的上帝就是我的上帝; 17 你死在哪裡,我也死在哪裡、葬在哪裡。只有死才能把我們分開。否則,願耶和華重重地懲罰我!」 18 拿俄米見路得堅決要跟她走,就不再勸阻她了。

19 於是,二人便一同回到伯利恆。她們進了伯利恆,全城驚動。婦女們問:「這不是拿俄米嗎?」 20 拿俄米對她們說:「不要再叫我拿俄米[a]了,叫我瑪拉[b]吧!因為全能者叫我過得好苦啊! 21 我曾滿滿地離開這裡,現在耶和華卻使我空空地回來。既然耶和華叫我受苦,全能者使我遭遇不幸,為何還叫我拿俄米呢?」

22 拿俄米帶著她的兒媳婦——摩押女子路得從摩押回到了伯利恆,那時正是開始收割大麥的季節。

Footnotes

  1. 1·20 拿俄米」意思是「甜」。
  2. 1·20 瑪拉」意思是「苦」。

Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab

Now it came to pass, in the days when (A)the judges [a]ruled, that there was (B)a famine in the land. And a certain man of (C)Bethlehem, Judah, went to [b]dwell in the country of (D)Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—(E)Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went (F)to the country of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they [c]dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had (G)visited[d] His people by (H)giving them bread. Therefore she went out 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, (I)“Go, return each to her mother’s house. (J)The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt (K)with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find (L)rest, each in the house of her husband.”

So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, (M)that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that (N)the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”

14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth (O)clung to her.

15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to (P)her people and to her gods; (Q)return after your sister-in-law.”

16 But Ruth said:

(R)“Entreat[e] me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
(S)Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
(T)The Lord do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”

18 (U)When she saw that she [f]was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that (V)all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, (W)Is this Naomi?”

20 But she said to them, “Do not call me [g]Naomi; call me [h]Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, (X)and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and [i]the Almighty has afflicted me?”

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem (Y)at the beginning of barley harvest.

Footnotes

  1. Ruth 1:1 Lit. judged
  2. Ruth 1:1 As a resident alien
  3. Ruth 1:4 lived
  4. Ruth 1:6 attended to
  5. Ruth 1:16 Urge me not
  6. Ruth 1:18 Lit. made herself strong to go
  7. Ruth 1:20 Lit. Pleasant
  8. Ruth 1:20 Lit. Bitter
  9. Ruth 1:21 Heb. Shaddai