Ruth

以利米勒全家迁往摩押

1当士师秉政的时候，国中遭遇饥荒。在犹大的伯利恒，有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子往摩押地去寄居。

2这人名叫以利米勒，他的妻名叫拿俄米；他两个儿子，一个名叫玛伦，一个名叫基连，都是犹大伯利恒的以法他人。他们到了摩押地，就住在那里。

3后来拿俄米的丈夫以利米勒死了，剩下妇人和她两个儿子。

4这两个儿子娶了摩押女子为妻，一个名叫俄珥巴，一个名叫路得，在那里住了约有十年。

5玛伦和基连二人也死了，剩下拿俄米，没有丈夫，也没有儿子。

拿俄米和路得回伯利恒

6她就与两个儿妇起身，要从摩押地归回；因为她在摩押地听见耶和华眷顾自己的百姓，赐粮食与他们。

7于是她和两个儿妇起行离开所住的地方，要回犹大地去。

8拿俄米对两个儿妇说：「你们各人回娘家去吧。愿耶和华恩待你们，像你们恩待已死的人与我一样！

9愿耶和华使你们各在新夫家中得平安！」于是拿俄米与她们亲嘴。她们就放声而哭，

10说：「不然，我们必与你一同回你本国去。」

11拿俄米说：「我女儿们哪，回去吧！为何要跟我去呢？我还能生子作你们的丈夫吗？

12我女儿们哪，回去吧！我年纪老迈，不能再有丈夫；即或说，我还有指望，今夜有丈夫可以生子，

13你们岂能等着他们长大呢？你们岂能等着他们不嫁别人呢？我女儿们哪，不要这样。我为你们的缘故甚是愁苦，因为耶和华伸手攻击我。」

14两个儿妇又放声而哭，俄珥巴与婆婆亲嘴而别，只是路得舍不得拿俄米。

15拿俄米说：「看哪，你嫂子已经回她本国和她所拜的神那里去了，你也跟着你嫂子回去吧！」

16路得说：「不要催我回去不跟随你。你往哪里去，我也往那里去；你在哪里住宿，我也在那里住宿；你的国就是我的国，你的 神就是我的 神。

17你在哪里死，我也在那里死，也葬在那里。除非死能使你我相离！不然，愿耶和华重重地降罚与我。」

18拿俄米见路得定意要跟随自己去，就不再劝她了。

19于是二人同行，来到伯利恒。她们到了伯利恒，合城的人就都惊讶。妇女们说：「这是拿俄米吗？」

20拿俄米对她们说：「不要叫我拿俄米，要叫我玛拉，因为全能者使我受了大苦。

21我满满地出去，耶和华使我空空地回来。耶和华降祸与我；全能者使我受苦。既是这样，你们为何还叫我拿俄米呢？」

22拿俄米和她儿妇摩押女子路得，从摩押地回来到伯利恒，正是动手割大麦的时候。

Naomi Becomes a Widow

1In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the land of Moab.

2The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there.

3Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons,

4who took Moabite women as their wives, one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. And after they had lived in Moab about ten years,

5both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband.

Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi

6When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had attended to His people by providing them with food, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab.

7Accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road leading back to the land of Judah.

8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion,as you have shown to your dead and to me.

9May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud

10and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

11But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?

12Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,

13would you wait for them to grow up? Would you refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, it is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”

14Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

15“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”

16But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave youor to turn from following you.For wherever you go, I will go,and wherever you live, I will live;your people will be my people,and your God will be my God.

17Where you die, I will die,and there I will be buried.May the LORD punish me,and ever so severely,if anything but deathseparates you and me.”

18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.

The Return to Bethlehem

19So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women of the town exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara,because the Almightyhas dealt quite bitterly with me.

21I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”

22So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.