14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god.[a](A) Follow your sister-in-law.”

16 But Ruth replied:

Do not persuade me to leave you
or go back and not follow you.
For wherever you go, I will go,
and wherever you live, I will live;
your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
and there I will be buried.
May Yahweh punish me,[b](B)
and do so severely,
if anything but death separates you and me.

18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.

19 The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival[c](C) and the local women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20 “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,”[d] she answered,[e] “for the Almighty(D) has made me very bitter.(E) 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.(F) Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has pronounced judgment on[f] me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

22 So Naomi came back from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 1:15 Or gods
  2. Ruth 1:17 A solemn oath formula; 1Sm 3:17; 2Sm 3:9,35; 1Kg 2:23; 2Kg 6:31
  3. Ruth 1:19 Lit excited because of them
  4. Ruth 1:20 = Bitter
  5. Ruth 1:20 Lit answered them
  6. Ruth 1:21 LXX, Syr, Vg read has humiliated

14 At this they wept(A) aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law(B) goodbye,(C) but Ruth clung to her.(D)

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

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

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.(N) When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred(O) because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,[a]” she told them. “Call me Mara,[b] because the Almighty[c](P) has made my life very bitter.(Q) 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.(R) Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted[d] me;(S) the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite,(T) her daughter-in-law,(U) arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest(V) was beginning.(W)

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 1:20 Naomi means pleasant.
  2. Ruth 1:20 Mara means bitter.
  3. Ruth 1:20 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 21
  4. Ruth 1:21 Or has testified against