Ruth — 1
Alimalach Moves His Family to Muab
1 In the days when the judges ruled in Yashar'AL, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bathlaham in Yahudah left his home and went to live in the country of Muab, taking his wife and two sons with him.
2 The man’s name was Alimalach, and his wife was Naumi, their two sons were Mahlun and Kiliun, they were Aphrathites from Bethlaham in the land of Yahudah, and when they reached Muab, they settled there.
3 Then Alimalach died, and Naumi was left with her two sons.
4 The two sons married Muabite women. One married a woman named Urpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later,
5 both Mahlun and Kiliun died, this left Naumi alone, without her two sons or her husband.
Naumi and Ruth Return
6 Then Naumi heard in Muab that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH had Baraked his people in Yahudah by giving them good crops again. So Naumi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Muab to return to her homeland.
7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Yahudah.
8 But on the way, Naumi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes, and may 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me.
9 May 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH barak you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.
10 “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”
11 But Naumi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands?
12 No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again, and even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what?
13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH himself has raised his fist against me.”
14 And again they wept together, and Urpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naumi.
15 “Look,” Naumi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her idols, you should do the same.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Do not ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH will be my 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH.
17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”
18 When Naumi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bathlaham, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naumi?” the women asked.
20 “She said to them, do not call me Naumi, “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.
21 I went away full, but 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has brought me home empty, why call me Naumi when 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”
22 So Naumi returned from Muab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Muabite woman. They arrived in Bathlaham in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.