Ruth 1

_1-2It was in the time when the land_of_Israel did not have a king. There were leaders who ruled the land. They were judges. There was no food for the people in Judah because there was a famine. Elimelek was a man who stayed in the town of Bethlehem in Judah. He had a wife whose name was Naomi. She and Elimelek had 2 sons. Their names were Mahlon and Kilion. They were all from the Ephrath family. Elimelek and his family went away from Bethlehem to stay in the land of Moab as strangers. They went to Moab because there was not enough food in Bethlehem. ₃Elimelek died while they were living in the land of Moab, but Naomi and her 2 sons stayed there. ₄Her sons married 2 women from the land of Moab. Their names were Orpah and Ruth. ₅They stayed in Moab for 10 years, and then Mahlon and Kilion, the 2 sons of Naomi, also died. Naomi was alone. She did not have a husband or sons any more.

₆Then they told Naomi good news from the province of Judah. They told her that God had helped his people and there was now enough food in Judah. Then Naomi and her 2 daughters-in-law took all their things and they went back to Judah. ₇Naomi, Orpah and Ruth went away from the land of Moab and they started to walk to Judah. ₈Then Naomi stopped and she said to Ruth and Orpah: ‘You must go back to your mothers and to their homes and you must stay there. You have been good to my 2 sons and to me. I pray that God will also be good to you. ₉I also pray that God will give each of you another husband and a new home.’

Naomi kissed them and Ruth and Orpah started to cry. ₁₀Then they said to Naomi: ‘No, we want to go with you to your people.’

₁₁But Naomi said to them: ‘No, I love you as if you were my daughters, but you must go to your homes. Why do you want to come with me? I am too old to have another husband. I can not have more sons that you can marry. ₁₂Go back to your families and their homes. What do you think? If I marry another husband now and I have 2 baby boys, then they must grow up and become men before you can marry them. How long will that take before you can marry them? It will take too long. ₁₃Do you want to wait for so many years? I am sure that you can not wait that long, my daughters. This is very sad for you and it is also very sad for me. God has let bad things happen to me.’

₁₄Ruth and Orpah cried again. Orpah kissed Naomi and she said goodbye, but Ruth did not want to go away from Naomi, and she held on to her. ₁₅Naomi said to Ruth: ‘Orpah has gone back to her family. She has gone back to her people and her god in the land of Moab. You must go back with her.’

₁₆But Ruth said to Naomi: ‘Do not tell me to leave you. I want to go with you. I want to stay with you. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. ₁₇I want to die in the place where you die and then they must dig a grave and bury me there. I will not leave you as long as I live. I make this promise to you. I want God to listen to what I say. He will be my Witness that I will do what I say.’

₁₈Naomi saw that Ruth did not want to go home and she did not ask Ruth to go back again. ₁₉Naomi and Ruth walked together to the town of Bethlehem. The people of Bethlehem were very happy when they saw them. The women from the town asked: ‘Is this really Naomi? She does not look the same. She looks different.’

₂₀Naomi said to them: ‘My name has changed. My name is not Naomi anymore. My name is now Mara, because God Almighty has made my life very sad and bitter. ₂₁I went away from here with my husband and my 2 sons, but God now brings me back without them. They have died. God has made it very bad and difficult for me. He sent a lot of problems to me.’

₂₂So Naomi came back from the land of Moab with Ruth. Ruth was born in Moab and she was the wife of Mahlon, the son of Naomi, but he had died. Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem at the time when the barley was ripe and the people were cutting off the barley in the fields.