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¹ And it happened in the days of the judging of those judging, there was a famine in the land. And a man from Bethlehem-judah went to live in the fields 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 were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the fields of Moab, and remained there.³ And Naomi's husband Elimelech died; And she was left, and her two sons.⁴ And they took wives to themselves, women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the second, Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.⁵ And they also died, both of them, Mahlon and Chilion. And the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.

⁶ And she rose up, she and her daughters-in-law, and turned back from the fields of Moab. For she had heard in the fields of Moab that Jehovah had visited His people, to give food to them.⁷ And she went out from the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her. And they went in the way to return to the land of Judah.⁸ And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, each return to the house of her mother. May Jehovah deal kindly with you, as you have done with the dead, and with me.⁹ May Jehovah grant to you that you find rest, each in the house of her husband. And she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept.¹⁰ And they said to her, Nevertheless, we will go back with you to your people.¹¹ And Naomi said, Turn back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Are there yet sons to me in my belly that they should be husbands for you?¹² Turn back, my daughters, go. For I am too old to belong to a husband. Though I should say, There is hope for me, and I should be tonight with a husband, and also I should bear sons;¹³ will you wait for them, that they might grow up? Will you shut yourselves up for them, not to belong to a husband? No, my daughters, for it is much more bitter for me than for you, for the hand of Jehovah has gone out against me.¹⁴ And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother in law, but Ruth clung to her.¹⁵ And she said, See, your sister-in-law has turned back to her people, and to her gods. You turn back after your sister-in-law.¹⁶ And Ruth said, Do not entreat me to leave you, to turn back from following you. For where you go, I will go. And where you stay, I will stay. 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 Jehovah do to me, and more so, if anything but death part you and me.¹⁸ And she saw that she had made herself strong to go with her; and she ceased to speak to her.

¹⁹ And they went, both of them, until they came into Bethlehem. And it happened as they came into Bethlehem, all the city was moved at them. And they said, Is this Naomi?²⁰ And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi. Call me Bitterness, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.²¹ I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Jehovah has set His eye against me, and the Almighty has done evil to me?²² And Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the fields of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.