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Naomi Widowed

¹ Now it came about in the days ^(C1)when the judges ^(F1)governed, that there was ^(C2)a famine in the land. And a man ^(C3)of Bethlehem in Judah went to reside in the land of Moab ^(F2)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 ^(C1)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 ^(F1)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 ^(C1)visited His people by ^(C2)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 ^(F1)your mother's house. ^(C1)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 ^(C1)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 ^(C1)the hand of the LORD has come out against me."

Ruth's Loyalty

¹⁵ Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her ^(C1)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 ^(C1)the LORD do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates ^(F1)me from you."¹⁸ When ^(C1)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, ^(C1)all the city was stirred because of them, and ^(F1)the women said, "Is this Naomi?"²⁰ But she said to them, "Do not call me ^(F1)Naomi; call me ^(F2)Mara, for ^(F3)(C1)the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.²¹ "I went away full, but ^(C1)the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me and ^(F1)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 ^(C1)the beginning of barley harvest.