Ruth 1:1

New International Reader's Version

There was a time when Israel didn’t have kings to rule over them. But they had leaders to help them. This is a story about some things that happened during that time. There wasn’t enough food in the land of Judah. So a man went to live for a while in the country of Moab. He was from Bethlehem in Judah. His wife and two sons went with him.

Cross References

Genesis 12:10

At that time there was not enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while.

Genesis 26:1

There was very little food in the land. The same thing had been true earlier, in Abraham’s time. Isaac went to Abimelek in Gerar. Abimelek was the king of the Philistines.

Genesis 43:1

There still wasn’t enough food anywhere in the land.

2 Samuel 21:1

For three years in a row there wasn’t enough food in the land. That was while David was king. So David asked the Lord why he wasn’t blessing his people. The Lord said, “It is because Saul and his family committed murder. He put the people of Gibeon to death.”

1 Kings 18:2

So Elijah went to speak to Ahab. There wasn’t enough food in Samaria. The people there were very hungry.

1 Chronicles 2:51

Hur was the father of Salma. Salma was the father of Bethlehem. Hur was also the father of Hareph. Hareph was the father of Beth Gader.

1 Chronicles 2:54

Here is the family line of Salma. It included Bethlehem, the people of Netophah, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the people of Manahath, and the Zorites.

Psalm 105:16

He made the people in the land go hungry. He destroyed all their food supplies.

Psalm 107:34

He turned land that produced crops into a salty land where nothing could grow. He did it because the people who lived there were evil.

Jeremiah 14:1

A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. He told Jeremiah there wouldn’t be any rain in the land. The Lord said,

Ezekiel 14:13

“Son of man, suppose the people in a certain country sin against me. And they are not faithful to me. So I reach out my powerful hand against them. I cut off their food supply. I make them very hungry. I kill them and their animals.

Ezekiel 14:21

The Lord and King says, “It will get much worse. I will punish Jerusalem in four horrible ways. There will be war, hunger, wild animals and plague. They will destroy the people and their animals.

Leviticus 26:19

I will break down your stubborn pride. I will make the sky above you like iron, and it will not rain. I will make the ground under you like bronze, and you will not be able to farm it.

Amos 4:6

“I made sure your stomachs were empty in every city. You did not have enough bread in any of your towns. In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,” announces the Lord.

Micah 5:2

The Lord says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you might not be an important town in the nation of Judah. But out of you will come for me a ruler over Israel. His family line goes back to the early years of your nation. It goes all the way back to days of long ago.”

Deuteronomy 28:38

You will plant many seeds in your field. But you will gather very little food. Locusts will eat it up.

Judges 12:8

After Jephthah, Ibzan from Bethlehem led Israel.

Judges 17:7

A young Levite had been living in land that belonged to the tribe of Judah. He was from Bethlehem in Judah.

Judges 17:8

He left that town to look for some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house. It was in the hill country of Ephraim.