ISAHLUKO I.
1KWAYE kute emihleni bagwebayo abagwebi, kwabekuko indlala elizweni. Yaza yahamba indoda yase‐Beteleheme‐juda ukuya kupambukela ezweni le‐Mowabi, yona, nomfazi wayo, nonyana bayo bobabini. 2Igama lalondoda belingu‐Elimeleki, negama lomfazi wayo ngu‐Nahomi, namagama onyana bayo bobabini ngu‐Mahalone no‐Kiliyone, ama‐Eferata ase‐Beteleheme‐juda. Bada bafika ezweni le‐Mowabi, bahlala kona.
3Kekaloku wafa u‐Elimeleki indoda ka‐Nahomi; washiywa ke nonyana bake bobabini. 4Baza bazeka abafazi abangama‐Mowabikazi; igama lomnye ngu‐Oripa, negama lomnye ngu‐Rute: bahlala kona langa lalishumi leminyaka. 5Bada bafa u‐Mahalone no‐Kiliyone nabo bobabini; waza umfazi lowo washiywa ngonyana bake bobabini nayindoda yake.
6Wandula wesuka nomolokazana bake, ukuba abuye ezweni le‐Mowabi: ngokuba ebevile ezweni le‐Mowabi okokuba utixo ukumbule abantu bake ngokubanika ukutya. 7Ngako wapuma endaweni apo abehleli kona, nomolokazana bake bobabini kunye naye. Baza bahamba endleleni ukuya kubuyela ezweni lakwa‐Juda. 8Wandula wati u‐Nahomi kubo omolokazana bake bobabini: Hambani, nibuye niye omnye ngomnye endlwini kanyoko: wanga uyehova anganenzela ububele, njengokuba nenzele abafileyo nam: 9wanga uyehova anganipa okokuba nifumane ukupumla, omnye ngomnye endlwini yendoda yake! Waza wabanga; koko bapakamisa ilizwi labo, balila, 10bati kuye: Ngenyaniso siya kubuya nawe ukuya ebantwini bako. 11Waza wati u‐Nahomi: Buyani, zintombi zam! kunganina ukuba niya kuhamba nam? baseko na onyana esizalweni sam, ukuba babe ngamadoda enu? 12Buyani, zintombi zam! nihambe; ngokuba ndimdala kukuba ndibe nendoda. Nakuba bendiya kuti: Ndinetemba; nakuba bendinendoda obubusuku, ndazala onyana kanjako, 13ngenibalinda na bade bakule? ngenitintelwa ngabo na ukuze ningabi namadoda? hai, zintombi zam! ngokuba kubuṙaṙa kum kakulu ngenxa yenu, ukuba isandla sikayehova sipumele ngakum. 14Baza bapakamisa ilizwi labo balila kanjako: wati u‐Oripa wamanga unondoda wake; kodwa u‐Rute wati nama kuye.
15Wandula wati: Bona ke, umkuluwekazi wako ubuyele ebantwini bake, nakotixo bake; buya wena uye emva kwomkuluwekazi wako. 16Waza wati u‐Rute: Ungandikungi ukuba ndikushiye, ukuba ndibuye ekukulandeleni; ngokuba apo uya kona, ndiya kuya mna; nalapo ulalisa kona, ndiya kulalisa mna; abantu bako boba ngabantu bam, notixo wako woba ngutixo wam; 17apo uya kufa kona, kwa lapo ndiya kufa mna, nalapo ndiya kuncw̔atywa: uyehova makenje njalo kum, alekele ukwenje njalo, ukuba akukukufa okuya kundahlukanisa nawe kupela! 18Wati akubona ukuba uzomelezele ukuhamba naye, wayeka ukuteta kuye.
19Baza bahamba bobabini, bada bafika e‐Beteleheme. Kwaye kute, xeshekweni sebefikile e‐Beteleheme, sazanyazanyiswa isixeko sonke pezu kwabo, bati abantu: Nguye na u‐Nahomi lo? 20Wayesiti kubo: Ningandibizi ngo‐Nahomi, ndibizeni ngo‐Mara: ngokuba usomandla enzile ngobuṙaṙa kum kakulu: 21ndemka ndizele, kodwa uyehova undibuyisile ndizé: kunganina ukuba nindibiza ngo‐Nahomi, uyehova enqi̔nele ngakum nje, usomandla endenzele nje ububi?
22Kwa njalo wabuya u‐Nahomi, no‐Rute um‐Mowabikazi, umolokazana wake, kunye naye, owabuya ezweni le‐Mowabi: baza bafika e‐Beteleheme ekuqalekeni kwokuvunwa kweṙalasi.
