| New Living Translation | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. | 1Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. |
| 2The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there. | 2The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. |
| 3Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. | 3Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. |
| 4The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, | 4They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. |
| 5both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband. Naomi and Ruth Return | 5Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband. |
| 6Then Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. | 6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food. |
| 7With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. | 7So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. |
| 8But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. | 8And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. |
| 9May the LORD bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. | 9"May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. |
| 10“No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.” | 10And they said to her, "No, but we will surely return with you to your people." |
| 11But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? | 11But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? |
| 12No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? | 12"Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, |
| 13Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has raised his fist against me.” | 13would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me." |
| 14And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. | 14And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. |
| 15“Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” | 15Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law." |
| 16But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. | 16But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. |
| 17Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” | 17"Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." |
| 18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more. | 18When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. |
| 19So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked. | 19So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?" |
| 20“Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. | 20She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. |
| 21I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?” | 21"I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?" |
| 22So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest. | 22So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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