Ruth 1:19-2:1

English Standard Version

Naomi and Ruth Return

¹⁹ So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, ^(A)the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;^[a] call me ^(B)Mara,^[b] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ^21 (C)I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

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

Ruth Meets Boaz

2 Now Naomi had ^(E)a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was ^(F)Boaz.