URuthe 1 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

URuthe loNawomi

¹ Kwathi ensukwini zabahluleli kwaba khona indlala elizweni. Umuntu othile waseBetlehema koJuda wasuka wayahlala elizweni laseMowabi, yena lomkakhe lamakhe amabili.

² Ibizo lakhe lalinguElimeleki, elomkakhe linguNawomi, amabizo amadodana akhe amabili ayengoMaheloni loKiliyoni; babengabaseEfratha eBetlehema koJuda. Baya elizweni laseMowabi, bahlala khona.

³ UElimeleki umkaNawomi wafa, kwasala yena lamadodana akhe womabili.

⁴ Amadodana akhe athatha abafazi bamaMowabi, ibizo lomunye lalinguOrpa, elomunye linguRuthe. Bahlala khona kwaphosa kwaba yiminyaka elitshumi.

⁵ Bobabili oMaheloni loKiliyoni bafa, walahlekelwa uNawomi ngamadodana akhe womabili layindoda yakhe.

⁶ Wasesuka eMowabi labomalokazana bakhe, ngoba wayesezwile eselizweni laseMowabi ukuthi iNkosi ibakhumbule abantu bayo, yabanika ukudla.

⁷ Ngakhoke wasesuka lapho ayekhona labomalokazana bakhe bobabili, bahamba laye ukuba abuyele elizweni lakoJuda.

⁸ UNawomi wasesithi kubomalokazana bakhe bobabili: Buyelani lonke ezindlini zabonyoko; iNkosi iliphathe kuhle njengoba labaphatha kuhle abafileyo kanye lami;

⁹ iNkosi ilinike ukuba libuye lende futhi, lihlale kuhle labomkenu abatsha. Wasebanga, bona basebedazuluka bekhala.

¹⁰ Bathi kuye: Atshi, sizahamba lawe kwabakini.

¹¹ Kodwa uNawomi wathi: Buyelani, bantwana bami, lizahambelani lami na? Kambe ngiselawo yini amanye amadodana esiswini sami ukuba abe ngabomkenu na?

¹² Buyelani, bantwana bami; hambani, ngoba mina sengikhulile kakhulu ukuba ngibuye ngibe lendoda. Loba ngingathi ngilethemba lokuzuza umntwana, uba ngingenda ngabona lobubusuku ngizale amadodana,

¹³ belingawalindela yini aze akhule na? Belingahlala lingendi na? Atshi, bantwana bami, ngoba kubuhlungu kakhulu kimi ngenxa yenu ukuba isandla seNkosi silwe lami.

¹⁴ Basebedazuluka bekhala futhi. UOrpa wamanga uninazala, wabuyela kwabakibo; kodwa uRuthe wabambelela kuye.

¹⁵ UNawomi wathi: Khangela, umnakwenu usebuyele kwabakibo lakubonkulunkulu bakhe; mlandele usowenu.

¹⁶ Kodwa uRuthe wathi: Ungangincengi ukuba ngikutshiye lokuba ngiyekele ukukulandela; ngoba lapho uya khona, ngizakuya khona lami, lalapho uhlala khona, lami ngizahlala khona. Abantu bakini bazakuba ngabakithi, loNkulunkulu wakho abe nguNkulunkulu wami;

¹⁷ lapho uzafela khona, lami ngizafela khona, ngingcwatshelwe lapho. INkosi ingihlanekele ngokwengezelelweyo uba ngingehlukaniswa lawe yilutho ngaphandle kokufa.

¹⁸ Kwathi uNawomi esebonile ukuthi uRuthe uzimisele ukuhamba laye wasemyekela.

¹⁹ Basebehamba bobabili baze bafika eBetlehema. Sebefikile khona kwayaluzela umuzi wonke ngenxa yabo. Abesifazana bathi: Lo unguye uNawomi na?

²⁰ Yena wathi kibo: Lingangibizi ngokuthi nginguNawomi, kodwa lingibize ngokuthi nginguMara; ngoba uSomandla ungiphethe ngobuhlungu obukhulu.

²¹ Ngasuka lapha ngigcwele, iNkosi ingibuyise sengize. Lingibizelani ngokuthi nginguNawomi njengoba iNkosi isingihlanekele, loSomandla esengehlisele okubi na?

²² Wabuya ngokunjalo uNawomi kanye loRuthe waseMowabi umalokazana wakhe, bevela elizweni laseMowabi. Bafika eBetlehema ekuqaliseni kokuvunwa kwamabele.