Ruth 1 · רות

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bet-leĥem in Yehuda went to sojourn in the country of Mo᾽av, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

And the name of the man was Elimelekh, and the name of his wife No῾omi, and the name of his two sons, Maĥlon and Kilyon, Efratites from Bet-leĥem in Yehuda. And they came into the country of Mo᾽av, and remained there.

And Elimelekh, No῾omi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

And they took wives for themselves of the women of Mo᾽av; the name of the one was ῾Orpa, and the name of the other Rut: and they dwelled there about ten years.

And Maĥlon and Kilyon died, both of them; so that the woman was bereft of her two sons and her husband.

Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Mo᾽av: for she had heard in the country of Mo᾽av that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

So she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they took the road to return to the land of Yehuda.

And No῾omi said to her two daughters in law, Go, return each of you to her mother’s house: the Lord deal loyally with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.

The Lord grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

And they said to her, No, we will return with thee to thy people.

And No῾omi said, Turn back, my daughters: why will you go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, even if I should have a husband tonight, and should bear sons;

would you tarry for them till they were grown? would you, for them, refrain from having husbands? no, my daughters; for it grieves me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and ῾Orpa kissed her mother in law; but Rut held fast to her.

And she said, Behold, thy sister in law has gone back to her people, and to her gods: go back after thy sister in law.

And Rut said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for wherever thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.

When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left off speaking to her.

So the two of them went on until they came to Bet-leĥem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bet-leĥem, that all the city was astir at their arrival, and they said, Is this No῾omi?

And she said to them, Call me not No῾omi, call me Mara: for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

I went out full, and the Lord has brought me back empty: why then do you call me No῾omi, seeing the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

So No῾omi returned, and Rut the Mo᾽avite woman, her daughter in law, with her, who returned out of the country of Mo᾽av: and they came to Bet-leĥem at the beginning of the barley harvest.