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Naomi and Ruth

1 ^1-2 There was a time when judges ruled Israel. During that time there was a famine in Judah. A man who lived in Bethlehem, in Judah, had a wife and two sons. His name was Elimelech. Elimelech's wife was called Naomi, and his sons were called Mahlon and Kilion. They were from Ephrathah's clan. Because there was not enough food in Judah, Elimelech and his family left Bethlehem. They went to live as strangers in Moab. ^{[ a ]}

³ Elimelech died while they were living in Moab. Naomi and her two sons remained there alone. ⁴ Then Naomi's sons married women from Moab. Mahlon married a woman called Ruth. Kilion married a woman called Orpah. ⁵ After they had all lived in Moab for about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion died. Now Naomi was completely alone, without her husband or her sons. ^{[ b ]}

⁶ Naomi received news from Judah that the Lord had helped his people. ^{[ c ]} There was now enough food in Judah again. So Naomi decided to leave Moab and return to Judah with Ruth and Orpah.

⁷ Naomi and her sons' wives left their home in Moab. They began to travel together on the way back to Judah. ⁸ On the way, Naomi said to Ruth and Orpah, ‘Listen! You should return to your mothers' homes in Moab and stay there. Your husbands are dead now. You have been kind to them and to me. I pray that the Lord will be as kind to you. ⁹ I also pray that God will give to each of you another husband and a new home.’ Naomi kissed them and said ‘goodbye’. Ruth and Orpah began to weep loudly. ¹⁰ They said to Naomi, ‘No! We will go with you to live with your people.’

¹¹ But Naomi said, ‘My daughters, you should return to your own country. You should not choose to come back to Judah with me. I will not give birth to any more sons for you to marry them. ¹² Return to your own country, my daughters. I am too old to marry another husband. Even if I did marry a man immediately, when might I give birth to sons? ¹³ I am sure that you do not want to wait until they are old enough for you to marry them! Would you wait all that time and not marry anyone else? So, my daughters, you must not return to Judah with me. You should not have to share my pain. The Lord has turned against me.’

¹⁴ Ruth and Orpah wept loudly again. Orpah kissed Naomi and she said ‘goodbye’. But Ruth would not leave Naomi. She held on to her. ¹⁵ Naomi said to Ruth, ‘Look! Orpah has returned to her family. She has returned to serve the gods of Moab. Go back home with her.’

¹⁶ Ruth said to Naomi, ‘Do not say that I must leave you. I will go with you, wherever you go. I will live wherever you live. You belong to Israel's people. I will belong to them too. Your God will be my God. ¹⁷ I will die in the same place that you die. That is where people will bury me. I will stay beside you until death makes us separate. If I ever leave you, the Lord should punish me.’

¹⁸ Then Naomi understood that Ruth would not agree to return to her own country. So she stopped saying that Ruth should leave her.

Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem

¹⁹ Naomi and Ruth travelled together to Bethlehem. When they arrived there, the people were very surprised. The women from the town said, ‘Is this really Naomi?’

²⁰ Naomi said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, instead. ^{[ d ]} The Almighty God has made my life very sad. ²¹ I left here with everything that I needed. Now the Lord has brought me back here with nothing. The Almighty Lord has turned against me, so that I have suffered. It is not right for you to call me Naomi.’

²² That is how Naomi returned from Moab with Ruth. Ruth was from Moab. She was the wife of Naomi's son Mahlon. Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem when the harvest of barley was beginning.

Footnotes

1:1-2 Moab was a good place to grow food. Wheat grew well in one part of Moab. Grass grew well in another part of the country. So the cows could become fat.
1:5 When the women had no husbands, they could no longer work on their land. They needed help from the men in their families.
1:6 When we write Lord like this, it is a special name for God. Sometimes people write it as ‘Yahweh’, or as ‘Jehovah’. It is his own name that he told Moses. See Exodus 3:14 . It means ‘I am who I am’. This shows that God has always been there and he always will be there.
1:20 The name Naomi means ‘happy’. The name Mara means ‘sad’.

Famine in Judah

1 Long ago, during the time the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man named Elimelech left the town of Bethlehem in Judah. He, his wife, and his two sons moved to the country of Moab. ² The man’s wife was named Naomi, and his two sons were named Mahlon and Kilion. They were from the Ephrathah family of Bethlehem in Judah. The family traveled to the hill country of Moab and stayed there.

³ Later, Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, so only Naomi and her two sons were left. ⁴ Her sons married women from the country of Moab. One wife’s name was Orpah, and the other wife’s name was Ruth. They lived in Moab about ten years; ⁵ then Mahlon and Kilion also died. So Naomi was left alone without her husband or her two sons.

Naomi Goes Home

⁶ While Naomi was in the country of Moab, she heard that the Lord had helped his people. He had given food to his people in Judah. So Naomi decided to leave the hill country of Moab and go back home. Her daughters-in-law also decided to go with her. ⁷ They left the place where they had been living and started walking back to the land of Judah.

⁸ Then Naomi told her daughters-in-law, “Each of you should go back home to your mother. You have been very kind to me and my sons who are now dead. So I pray that the Lord will be just as kind to you. ⁹ I pray that the Lord will help each of you find a husband and a good home.” Naomi kissed her daughters-in-law, and they all started crying.

¹⁰ Then the daughters said, “But we want to come with you and go to your family.”

¹¹ But Naomi said, “No, daughters, go back to your own homes. Why should you go with me? I can’t have any more sons to be your husbands. ¹² Go back home. I am too old to have a new husband. Even if I thought I could be married again, I could not help you. If I became pregnant tonight and had two sons, ¹³ you would have to wait until they grew to become men before you could marry them. I cannot make you wait that long for husbands. That would make me very sad. And I am already sad enough—the Lord has done many things to me!”

¹⁴ So again they cried very much. Then Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, but Ruth hugged her and stayed.

¹⁵ Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her own people and her own gods. You should do the same.”

¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you! Don’t force me to go back to my own people. Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. I ask the Lord to punish me if I don’t keep this promise: Only death will separate us.” ^{[ a ]}

The Homecoming

¹⁸ Naomi saw that Ruth wanted very much to go with her. So Naomi stopped arguing with her. ¹⁹ Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When the two women entered Bethlehem, all the people were very excited. They said, “Is this Naomi?”

²⁰ But Naomi told the people, “Don’t call me Naomi ^{[ b ]} ; call me Marah. ^{[ c ]} Use this name because God All-Powerful has made my life very sad. ²¹ I had everything I wanted when I left, but now, the Lord brings me home with nothing. The Lord has made me sad, so why should you call me ‘Happy’ ^{[ d ]} ? God All-Powerful has given much trouble to me.”

²² So Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabite, came back from the hill country of Moab. These two women came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Footnotes

Ruth 1:17 I ask … separate us Literally, “May the Lord do this to me, and even more, unless death separates us!”
Ruth 1:20 Naomi This name means “Happy” or “Pleasant.”
Ruth 1:20 Marah This name means “Bitter” or “Sad.”
Ruth 1:21 Happy This is the meaning of the name Naomi.

1 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 Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

² And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

³ And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

⁴ And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

⁵ And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

⁶ Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

⁷ Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

⁸ And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

⁹ The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

¹⁰ And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

¹¹ And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

¹² Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

¹³ Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

¹⁴ And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

¹⁵ And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

¹⁶ And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

¹⁷ Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

¹⁸ When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

¹⁹ So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

²⁰ And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

²¹ I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Naomi Widowed

1 Now it came about in the days ^{( A )} when the judges ^{[ a ]} governed, that there was ^{( B )} a famine in the land. And a man ^{( C )} of Bethlehem in Judah went to reside in the land of Moab ^{[ b ]} with his wife and his two sons. ² The 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. So they ^{( D )} entered the land of Moab and remained there. ³ Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ And they 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. ⁵ Then ^{[ c ]} both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, because she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had ^{( E )} visited His people by ^{( F )} giving them food. ⁷ So 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. ⁸ But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to ^{[ d ]} your mother’s house. ^{( G )} May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹ May the Lord grant that you may find a place of rest, each one in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and wept. ¹⁰ However, they said to her, “ No , but we will return with you to your people.” ¹¹ But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that ^{( H )} they may be your husbands? ¹² Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I were even to have a husband tonight and also give birth to sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is much more bitter for me than for you, because ^{( I )} the hand of the Lord has come out against me.”

Ruth’s Loyalty

¹⁴ And they raised their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

¹⁵ Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her ^{( J )} gods; return after your sister-in-law.” ¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May ^{( K )} the Lord do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates ^{[ e ]} me from you.” ¹⁸ When ^{( L )} she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her about it .

¹⁹ So they both went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, ^{( M )} all the city was stirred because of them, and ^{[ f ]} the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ But she said to them, “Do not call me ^{[ g ]} Naomi; call me ^{[ h ]} Mara, for ^{[ i ]} ^{( N )} the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went away full, but ^{( O )} the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me and ^{[ j ]} the Almighty has afflicted me?”

²² So 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 ^{( P )} the beginning of barley harvest.

Footnotes

Ruth 1:1 Or judged
Ruth 1:1 Lit he, and
Ruth 1:5 Lit both of them
Ruth 1:8 Lit her
Ruth 1:17 Lit between me and you
Ruth 1:19 Lit they
Ruth 1:20 I.e., pleasant
Ruth 1:20 I.e., bitter
Ruth 1:20 Heb Shaddai
Ruth 1:21 Heb Shaddai

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

1 In the days when the judges ruled, ^{[ a ]} ^{( A )} there was a famine in the land. ^{( B )} So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, ^{( C )} together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while ^{( D )} in the country of Moab. ^{( E )} ² The man’s name was Elimelek, ^{( F )} his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. ^{( G )} They were Ephrathites ^{( H )} from Bethlehem, ^{( I )} Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

³ Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They married Moabite women, ^{( J )} one named Orpah and the other Ruth. ^{( K )} After they had lived there about ten years, ⁵ both Mahlon and Kilion ^{( L )} also died, ^{( M )} and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

⁶ When Naomi heard in Moab ^{( N )} that the Lord had come to the aid of his people ^{( O )} by providing food ^{( P )} for them, she and her daughters-in-law ^{( Q )} prepared to return home from there. ⁷ With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

⁸ Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. ^{( R )} May the Lord show you kindness, ^{( S )} as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands ^{( T )} and to me. ⁹ May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest ^{( U )} in the home of another husband.”

Then she kissed ^{( V )} them goodbye and they wept aloud ^{( W )} ¹⁰ and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

¹¹ But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? ^{( X )} ¹² Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— ¹³ would you wait until they grew up? ^{( Y )} Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter ^{( Z )} for me than for you, because the Lord ’s hand has turned against me! ^{( AA )} ”

¹⁴ At this they wept ^{( AB )} aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law ^{( AC )} goodbye, ^{( AD )} but Ruth clung to her. ^{( AE )}

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law ^{( AF )} is going back to her people and her gods. ^{( AG )} Go back with her.”

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you ^{( AH )} or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, ^{( AI )} and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people ^{( AJ )} and your God my God. ^{( AK )} ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, ^{( AL )} if even death separates you and me.” ^{( AM )} ¹⁸ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. ^{( AN )}

¹⁹ So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. ^{( AO )} When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred ^{( AP )} because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

²⁰ “Don’t call me Naomi, ^{[ b ]} ” she told them. “Call me Mara, ^{[ c ]} because the Almighty ^{[ d ]} ^{( AQ )} has made my life very bitter. ^{( AR )} ²¹ I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. ^{( AS )} Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted ^{[ e ]} me; ^{( AT )} the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

²² So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, ^{( AU )} her daughter-in-law, ^{( AV )} arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest ^{( AW )} was beginning. ^{( AX )}

Footnotes

Ruth 1:1 Traditionally judged
Ruth 1:20 Naomi means pleasant.
Ruth 1:20 Mara means bitter.
Ruth 1:20 Hebrew Shaddai ; also in verse 21
Ruth 1:21 Or has testified against

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Table of Contents

Naomi and Ruth

Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem

Footnotes

Famine in Judah

Naomi Goes Home

The Homecoming

Footnotes

Naomi Widowed

Ruth’s Loyalty

Footnotes

Cross references

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

Footnotes

Cross references

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BibleStudyIt Ruth 1

Ruth 1's Chapter Tabs Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

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Naomi and Ruth

Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem

Footnotes

Famine in Judah

Naomi Goes Home

The Homecoming

Footnotes

Naomi Widowed

Ruth’s Loyalty

Footnotes

Cross references

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

Footnotes

Cross references

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Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.