² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here;^(A) the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(B) So they went down to Bethel.

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here;^(A) the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”^(B)

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(C) So the two of them walked on.

³⁰ But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^(A)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him,^(B) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^(C)

⁴ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.^(A)”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

¹⁹ The king said to Ittai^(A) the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,^(B) an exile from your homeland. ²⁰ You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander^(C) about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”^[a](D)

²¹ But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”^(E)

²⁶ and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law^(A) is going back to her people and her gods.^(B) Go back with her.”

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you^(C) or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,^(D) and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people^(E) and your God my God.^{(F) 17} Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(G) if even death separates you and me.”^{(H) 18} When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.^(I)