UElimeleki nomkakhe; uRuthe
1Kwathi emihleni abahlulela ngayo abahluleli kwaba-khona indlala ezweni. Umuntu othile waseBetlehema-Juda waya ukuyohlala ezweni lakwaMowabi, yena nomkakhe, namadodana akhe amabili.
2 Igama lalowomuntu lalinguElimeleki, igama lomkakhe lalinguNawomi, amagama amadodana akhe amabili ayengoMahaloni noKiliyoni; babengamaEfratha aseBetlehema-Juda. Bafika ezweni lakwaMowabi, bahlala khona.
3UElimeleki umyeni kaNawomi wafa; kepha yena wasala namadodana akhe amabili.
4Azithathela abafazi kwabesifazane bakwaMowabi; igama lomunye lalinguOrpa, igama lomunye lalinguRuthe; bahlala khona kwangathi iminyaka eyishumi.
5OMahaloni noKiliyoni bafa bobabili; owesifazane washiywa-ke ngabantwana bakhe ababili nangumyeni wakhe.
6Wayesesuka nawomalokazana bakhe ukuba abuye ezweni lakwaMowabi, ngokuba wayezwile ezweni lakwaMowabi ukuthi uJehova uhambele abantu bakhe ukuba abaphe ukudla.
7Waphuma endaweni lapho wayekhona, omalokazana bakhe benaye; bahamba ngendlela yokubuyela ezweni lakwaJuda.
8UNawomi wathi komalokazana bakhe ababili: Hambani nibuyele, kubeyilowo nalowo endlini kanina; uJehova makanenzele umusa, njengalokho nanenza kwabafileyo nakimi.
9UJehova makaninike ukuba nifumane ukuphumula, kube-yilowo nalowo endlini yomyeni wakhe. Wayesebanga, badazuluka, bakhala.
10Bathi kuye: Hayi, kepha sobuyela nawe kubantu bakini.
11Wayesethi uNawomi: Buyani, madodakazi ami; nohambelani nami na? Ngisenamadodana ezibilinini zami ukuba abe-ngabayeni benu na?
12Buyani, madodakazi ami, nihambe, ngokuba sengimdala ukuba ngibe-nomyeni. Noma ngangithi nginethemba, noma ngingaba-nendoda kulobubusuku, ngizale amadodana,
13beningawahlalela aze abe-ngakhulileyo na? Beniyakuzivimbela ningabinamadoda na? Hayi, madodakazi ami, kumunyu kimi ngenxa yenu, ngokuba isandla sikaJehova siphumele kimi.
14Badazuluka, baphinda bakhala; uOrpa wamanga uninazala, kepha uRuthe wanamathela kuye.
15Wathi: Bheka, umnakwenu usebuyele kwabakubo nakunkulunkulu wakhe; buya nawe, umlandele umnakwenu.
16Kepha uRuthe wathi: Ungangincengi ukuba ngikushiye, ngibuye, ngingakulandeli, ngokuba lapho uya khona, ngiyakuya khona nami, nalapho uhlala khona, ngiyakuhlala khona nami; abantu bakho bayakuba-ngabantu bami, uNkulunkulu wakho abe-nguNkulunkulu wami.
17Lapho ufela khona, ngiyakufela khona nami, ngimbelwe khona; uJehova akenze njalo kimi, enezele futhi, ngokuba ngukufa kuphela okuyakusahlukanisa.
18Esebonile ukuthi uzimisele ukuhamba naye, wayeka ukukhuluma kuye.
19Base behamba bobabili baze bafika eBetlehema. Kwathi sebefikile eBetlehema, wonke umuzi wanyakaziswa, bathi: Lo unguNawomi na?
20Wathi kubo: Ningangibizi ngokuthi uNawomi*; ngibizeni ngokuthi uMara*, ngokuba uSomandla ungiphathé ngomunyu omkhulu.
21Ngahamba ngigcwele, uJehova ungibuyisé ngize; ningibizelani ngokuthi uNawomi, lokhu uJehova efakazile ngami, uSomandla engenzele okubi, na?
22Wabuya-ke uNawomi kanye noRuthe wakwaMowabi umalokazana wakhe owabuya ezweni lakwaMowabi, bafika eBetlehema ekuqaleni kokuvunwa kwebhali*.
