In the days of the judges, there was a famine in the land of Judah. And there was a man of Bethlehem - which was a town in Judah - who took his wife and two sons to live in the country of Moab. 2His name was Elimelech; his wife’s, Naomi; and his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites, from Bethlehem, living in Moab.
3At some point Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4They each took wives from among the women of Moab: one, a woman named Orpah, and the other, a woman named Ruth. After they had lived in Moab for about ten years, 5Mahlon and Chilion both died, and Noami was bereaved of her children and husband.
6When Naomi and her daughters-in-law heard that Jehovah was providing bread to his people, she decided to return home. 7She left Moab, along with her daughters-in-law, and set out for the land of Judah. 8But Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, “Go home; each of you return to your mother’s house. May Jehovah deal kindly with you, as you have dealt kindly with the dead and with me. 9May Jehovah grant each of you rest in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, they lifted up their voices, and they wept together.
10But they told Naomi, “No! We will return with you to your people.” 11But she refused: “Go back, my daughters. Why would you want to go with me? Can I still bear sons who could become your husbands? 12Go back, my daughters, go your way. I am too old to have a husband. If I should even say, ‘I have hope!’ and if I should even have a husband tonight, and bear sons, 13would you wait until they were grown? Would you refrain from having husbands all those years? No, my daughters. This grieves me for your sakes; for Jehovah’s hand has gone against me.”
14This made them weep again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned. However, when Ruth stayed, 15Naomi told her, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Go follow her.”
16But Ruth replied:
“Don’t urge me to leave you.
Don’t urge me to return from following you.
For where you go, I will go;
and where you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
17Where you die, I will die, and that’s where I’ll be buried.
May Jehovah do to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”
18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to stick with her, she stopped urging her away. 19So they both came to Bethlehem, and the whole city was excited to see them, asking: “Is this really Naomi?” 20But Naomi told them, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me “Mara,” for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me home empty. Why would you call me Naomi, when Jehovah has testified against me – when the Almighty has so afflicted me?”
22So Naomi returned home from the country of Moab, bringing her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabitess. They got to Bethlehem right at the beginning of the barley harvest.