Ruth 1 - The Scriptures 1998

¹ And it came to be, in the days when the rulers ruled, that there was a scarcity of food in the land. And a man from Bĕ

² And the name of the man was Elimeleḵ

³ And Elimeleḵ

⁴ And they took wives of the women of Mo’aḇ

⁵ And Maḥ

⁶ And she rose up, with her daughters-in-law, and returned from the fields of Mo’aḇ

⁷ And she left 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 Yehuḏ

⁸ And Naʽ

⁹ “יהוה  grant that you find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

¹⁰ And they said to her, “No, we shall go back with you to your people.”

¹¹ But Naʽ

¹² “Go back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have expectancy, even if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

¹³ would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you shut yourselves up, not to have a husband? No, my daughters, for it is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of יהוה  has gone out against me!”

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

¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her mighty ones. Go back, follow your sister-in-law.”

¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you, or to go back from following after you. For wherever you go, I go; and wherever you stop over, I stop over. Your people is my people, and your Elohim is my Elohim.

¹⁷ “Where you die, I die, and there I shall be buried. יהוה  do so to me, and more also – for death itself parts you and me.”

¹⁸ And when she saw that she was strengthening herself to go with her, she ceased to speak to her.

¹⁹ And both of them went until they came to Bĕ

²⁰ And she said to them, “Do not call me Naʽ

²¹ “I went out filled, and יהוה  has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naʽ

²² Thus Naʽ