URuthe 4 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UBowasi uthatha uRuthe abe ngumkakhe

¹ UBowasi wasesuka esiya enkundleni, wahlala phansi khona. Kwasekudlula isihlobo leso esiseduze ayekhulume ngaso. UBowasi wasesithi: Akuphambukele lapha, mngane, uhlale phansi lapha. Wasephambuka, wahlala phansi.

² Wasebiza abadala bomuzi abalitshumi, wathi kubo: Ake lihlale phansi lapha. Balebehlala phansi.

³ Wasesithi kulesosihlobo: UNawomi osebuyile elizweni laseMowabi uthengisa isiqinti selizwe esasingesikaElimeleki isihlobo sethu.

⁴ Ngakho ngithande ukukutshela ngakho ngithi: Sithenge phambi kwalaba abahlezi lapha laphambi kwabadala babantu bakithi. Uba ungasihlenga, sihlenge. Kodwa uba kukwahlula, ungitshele, ukuba lami ngazi, ngoba kakho omunye ngaphandle kwakho ongasihlenga; mina ngiza emva kwakho. Yena wathi: Ngizasihlenga.

⁵ UBowasi wasesithi kuye: Mhla uthenga lesosiqinti kuNawomi, uzakuthenga loRuthe waseMowabi ongumfelwakazi, ukuze umise ibizo lomuyi elifeni lakhe.

⁶ Lesosihlobo sasesisithi: Ngingeke ngazihlengela sona, funa ngone ilifa lami. Zithathele wena ilungelo lami, ngoba mina kangilamandla okusihlenga.

⁷ Kulezonsuku zakuqala lapho kwakuhlengwa loba kusenanwa impahla, kwakungumkhuba ukuba umuntu othengisayo akhuphe inyathelo lakhe, alinike lowo othengayo. Le yayiyindlela yokuqinisa koIsrayeli.

⁸ Ngakhoke kwathi ukuba lesosihlobo sithi kuBowasi: Zithengele sona wena; sasesikhumula inyathelo laso.

⁹ UBowasi wasesithi kwabadala lakubo bonke abantu: Lina lingofakazi lamhla bokuba ngithengile kuNawomi konke okwakungokukaElimeleki lokwakungokukaKiliyoni lokukaMaheloni.

¹⁰ LoRuthe waseMowabi, umfelwakazi kaMaheloni laye ngimthengile ukuba abe ngumkami, ukuba ngimise ibizo lomuyi elifeni lakhe, ukuba ibizo lakhe lingapheli phakathi kwabafowabo lenkundleni yakibo. Lina lingofakazi lamhla.

¹¹ Bonke abantu ababesenkundleni labadala bathi: Thina singofakazi; kungathi iNkosi ingamenza lo owesifazana ozayo emzini wakho abe njengoRaheli loLeya abayakhayo indlu kaIsrayeli bendawonye. Kungathi ungaphumelela eEfratha, ube lodumo eBetlehema,

¹² lendlu yakho ibe njengendlu kaPerezi uTamari amzalele uJuda, ngabantwana iNkosi ezakukunika bona ngalo owesifazana.

¹³ Ngakho uBowasi wasemthatha uRuthe, waba ngumkakhe. INkosi yambusisa, wasethatha isisu, wazala indodana.

¹⁴ Abesifazana bathi kuNawomi: Kayibongwe iNkosi engakutshiyanga lamhla ungelasihlobo. Kungathi ibizo lomuyi lingahlala likhona koIsrayeli!

¹⁵ Lumntwana uzakukunika ukusila okutsha, akondle ebudaleni bakho, ngoba umalokazana wakho okuthandayo, omkhulu kuwe kulamadodana ayisikhombisa, umzele.

¹⁶ UNawomi wasemthatha umntwana, wamgona esifubeni sakhe, waba ngumlizane wakhe.

¹⁷ Abesifazana abakhelene laye bamutha ibizo bathi nguObedi besithi: UNawomi uselendodana. Nguye owaba nguyise kaJese, uyise kaDavida.

¹⁸ Nanzi izizukulwana zikaPerezi. UPerezi wazala uHezironi,

¹⁹ uHezironi wazala uRamu, uRamu wazala uAminadaba,

²⁰ uAminadaba wazala uNashoni, uNashoni wazala uSalimoni,

²¹ uSalimoni wazala uBowasi, uBowasi wazala uObedi,

²² uObedi wazala uJese, uJese wazala uDavida.