Ruth 1
Contemporary English Version
Ruth Is Loyal to Naomi
1 1-2 Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the clan of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed in Israel, they moved to the country of Moab.[a] And while they were there, 3 Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with only her two sons.
4 Later, Naomi's sons married Moabite women. One was named Orpah and the other Ruth. About ten years later, 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died. Now Naomi had no husband or sons.
6-7 When Naomi heard that the Lord had given his people a good harvest, she and her two daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab and go to Judah. As they were on their way there, 8 Naomi said to them, “Don't you want to go back home to your own mothers? You were kind to my husband and sons, and you've always been kind to me. I pray that the Lord will be just as kind to you. 9 May he give each of you another husband and a home of your own.”
Naomi kissed them. They cried 10 and said, “We want to go with you and live among your people.”
11 But she replied, “My daughters, why don't you return home? What good will it do you to go with me? Do you think I could have more sons for you to marry?[b] 12 You must go back home, because I am too old to marry again. Even if I got married tonight and later had more sons, 13 would you wait for them to become old enough to marry? No, my daughters! Life is harder for me than it is for you, because the Lord has turned against me.”[c]
14 They cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her. 15 Naomi then said to Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and to her gods! Why don't you go with her?”
16 Ruth answered,
“Please don't tell me
to leave you
and return home!
I will go where you go,
I will live where you live;
your people will be my people,
your God will be my God.
17 I will die where you die
and be buried beside you.
May the Lord punish me
if we are ever separated,
even by death!”[d]
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her to go back.
19 They reached Bethlehem, and the whole town was excited to see them. The women who lived there asked, “Can this really be Naomi?”
20 Then she told them, “Don't call me Naomi any longer! Call me Mara,[e] because God has made my life bitter. 21 I had everything when I left, but the Lord has brought me back with nothing. How can you still call me Naomi, when God has turned against me and made my life so hard?”
22 The barley harvest was just beginning when Naomi and Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, arrived in Bethlehem.
Footnotes
- 1.1,2 Moab: The people of Moab worshiped idols and were usually enemies of the people of Israel.
- 1.11 for you to marry: When a married man died and left no children, it was the custom for one of his brothers to marry his widow. Any children they had would then be thought of as those of the dead man, so that his family name would live on.
- 1.13 Life … me: Or “I'm sorry that the Lord has turned against me and made life so hard for you.”
- 1.17 even by death: Or “by anything but death.”
- 1.20 Mara: In Hebrew “Naomi” means “pleasant,” and “Mara” means “bitter.”
Rut 1
Cornilescu 1924 - Revised 2010, 2014
Naomi
1 Pe vremea judecătorilor(A), a fost o foamete(B) în ţară. Un om din Betleemul(C) lui Iuda a plecat cu nevastă-sa şi cu cei doi fii ai lui să locuiască pentru o vreme în ţara Moabului. 2 Numele omului aceluia era Elimelec, numele nevestei lui era Naomi şi cei doi fii ai lui se numeau Mahlon şi Chilion: erau efratiţi(D), din Betleemul lui Iuda. Ajungând în ţara(E) Moabului, şi-au aşezat locuinţa acolo. 3 Elimelec, bărbatul Naomei, a murit, şi ea a rămas cu cei doi fii ai ei. 4 Ei şi-au luat neveste moabite. Una se numea Orpa şi cealaltă, Rut şi au locuit acolo aproape zece ani. 5 Mahlon şi Chilion au murit şi ei amândoi, şi Naomi a rămas fără cei doi fii ai ei şi fără bărbat.
Rut se ţine de Naomi
6 Apoi s-a sculat, ea şi nurorile ei, ca să se întoarcă în ţara ei din ţara Moabului, căci aflase în ţara Moabului că Domnul cercetase(F) pe poporul Său şi-i dăduse(G) pâine. 7 Ea a ieşit din locul în care locuia însoţită de cele două nurori ale ei şi a pornit ca să se întoarcă în ţara lui Iuda. 8 Naomi a zis atunci celor două nurori ale ei: „Duceţi-vă şi întoarceţi-vă fiecare(H) la casa mamei ei! Domnul să Se(I) îndure de voi, cum v-aţi îndurat(J) şi voi de cei ce au murit şi de mine! 9 Să vă dea Domnul să găsiţi odihnă(K), fiecare în casa unui bărbat!” Şi le-a sărutat. Ele au ridicat glasul şi au plâns, 10 şi i-au zis: „Nu, noi vom merge cu tine la poporul tău.” 11 Naomi a zis: „Întoarceţi-vă, fiicele mele! Pentru ce să veniţi voi cu mine? Mai am eu oare fii în pântecele meu, ca să poată fi bărbaţii(L) voştri? 12 Întoarceţi-vă, fiicele mele, şi duceţi-vă! Eu sunt prea bătrână, ca să mă mărit din nou. Şi chiar dacă aş zice că trag nădejde, chiar dacă în noaptea aceasta aş fi cu un bărbat şi aş naşte fii, 13 aţi mai aştepta voi până să se facă mari şi aţi vrea voi să nu vă măritaţi din pricina lor? Nu, fiicele mele! Eu sunt mult mai amărâtă decât voi, pentru că mâna Domnului s-a întins(M) împotriva mea.” 14 Şi ele au ridicat glasul şi iarăşi au plâns. Orpa a sărutat pe soacră-sa şi a plecat, dar Rut s-a ţinut(N) de ea. 15 Naomi a zis către Rut: „Iată, cumnată-ta s-a întors la poporul ei şi la dumnezeii(O) ei; întoarce-te(P) şi tu după cumnată-ta.” 16 Rut a răspuns: „Nu sta(Q) de mine să te las şi să mă întorc de la tine! Încotro vei merge tu, voi merge şi eu; unde vei locui tu, voi locui şi eu; poporul(R) tău va fi poporul meu şi Dumnezeul tău va fi Dumnezeul meu; 17 unde vei muri tu, voi muri şi eu şi voi fi îngropată acolo. Facă-mi Domnul(S) ce o vrea, dar nimic nu mă va despărţi de tine, decât moartea!” 18 Naomi, văzând-o(T) hotărâtă să meargă cu ea, n-a mai stăruit. 19 Au călătorit împreună până ce au ajuns la Betleem. Şi când au intrat în Betleem, toată cetatea s-a pus(U) în mişcare din pricina lor şi femeile ziceau: „Naomi(V) (Plăcută) este aceasta?” 20 Ea le-a zis: „Nu-mi mai ziceţi Naomi, ziceţi-mi Mara (Amărăciune), căci Cel Atotputernic m-a umplut de amărăciune. 21 La plecare eram în belşug, şi acum Domnul mă aduce înapoi cu mâinile(W) goale. De ce să-mi mai ziceţi Naomi, când Domnul S-a rostit împotriva mea şi Cel Atotputernic m-a întristat?” 22 Astfel s-au întors din ţara Moabului Naomi şi noru-sa Rut, Moabita. Au ajuns la Betleem, la începutul(X) seceratului orzurilor.
Ruth 1
King James Version
1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
6 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 how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
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Copyright of the Cornilescu Bible © 1924 belongs to British and Foreign Bible Society. Copyright © 2010, 2014 of the revised edition in Romanian language belongs to the Interconfessional Bible Society of Romania, with the approval of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
