Ruth 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons.(A) 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon[a] and Chilion;[b] they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.(B) 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Naomi and Her Moabite Daughters-in-Law
6 Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food.(C) 7 So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.(D) 9 The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.(E) 10 They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?(F) 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, 13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.”(G) 14 Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 So she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said,
“Do not press me to leave you,
to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
and your God my God.(H)
17 Where you die, I will die,
and there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!”
18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.(I)
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them,
“Call me no longer Naomi;[c]
call me Mara,[d]
for the Almighty[e] has dealt bitterly with me.(J)
21 I went away full,
but the Lord has brought me back empty;
why call me Naomi
when the Lord has dealt harshly with[f] me
and the Almighty[g] has brought calamity upon me?”(K)
22 So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.(L)
Ruth 1
Lexham English Bible
Elimelech Takes His Family to Live in Moab
1 And it happened in the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem of Judah went to reside[b] in the countryside 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 was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephraimites from Bethlehem in Judah. And they went to the countryside of Moab and remained there.
3 But Elimelech the husband of Naomi died and she was left behind with her two sons.[c] 4 And they took[d] for themselves Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 But both[e] Mahlon and Kilion died, and the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.
Naomi Returns with Ruth
6 And she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the countryside of Moab, because she had heard in the countryside of Moab that Yahweh had come to the aid of[f] his people to give food to them. 7 So she set out from the place where she was[g] and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, each of you return to her mother’s house. May Yahweh show kindness to you[h] just as you did with the dead and with me. 9 May Yahweh grant that you[i] find a resting place, each in the house of her husband.” And she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and cried.
10 And they said to her, “No, we want to return with you to your people.” 11 And Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why do you still want to go with me?[j] Are there sons in my womb[k] that may be husbands for you? 12 Turn back, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband.[l] If I should think there is hope for me, even if I should have a husband this night, and even if I should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying?[m] No, my daughters, for it is far more bitter to me than to you. For the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.” 14 And they lifted up their voices and cried again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law too.”
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge[n] me to leave you or to return from following you![o] For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. 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. So may Yahweh do to me, and even more, unless[p] death separates you and me!”[q] 18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.[r]
19 So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came[s] to Bethlehem, all of the town was stirred because of them. And they said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 And she said to them, “You should not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for Shaddai[t] has caused me to be very bitter.[u] 21 I went away full, but Yahweh brought me back empty-handed! Why call me Naomi when Yahweh has testified against me[v] and Shaddai[w] has brought calamity upon me?” 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, returning from the countryside of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest of barley.
Footnotes
- Ruth 1:1 Literally “the judging of the judges”
- Ruth 1:1 Literally “to dwell as an alien”
- Ruth 1:3 Literally “she and her two sons”
- Ruth 1:4 Literally “they lifted up”
- Ruth 1:5 Literally “the two of them”
- Ruth 1:6 Literally “had considered”
- Ruth 1:7 Literally “which she was there”
- Ruth 1:8 Literally “do loyal love with you”
- Ruth 1:9 Literally “give to you”
- Ruth 1:11 Literally “To what do you want to go still for me?”
- Ruth 1:11 Literally “in my intestines”
- Ruth 1:12 Literally “I am too old from being to a man”
- Ruth 1:13 Literally “Would you therefore let yourself be hindered to not belong to a man?”
- Ruth 1:16 Literally “You shall not press me”
- Ruth 1:16 Literally “from behind you”
- Ruth 1:17 Literally “and so may he do again, that”
- Ruth 1:17 Literally “makes a separation between you and between me”
- Ruth 1:18 Literally “she ceased to speak to her”
- Ruth 1:19 Literally “And it happened at the moment of coming”
- Ruth 1:20 Often translated “the Almighty”
- Ruth 1:20 Literally “caused very bitterness to me”
- Ruth 1:21 Literally “and Yahweh answered against me”
- Ruth 1:21 Often translated “the Almighty”
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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