Ang Pag-unong ni Ruth kang Noemi
1-2Sa panahon nga dili pa mga hari ang nagadumala1:1-2 Sa panahon… nagadumala: sa literal, Sa panahon nga ang mga “shoftim” (mga pangulo/hukom) mao pa ang nangulo. sa Israel, miabot ang kagutom niini nga dapit. Busa si Elimelec nga taga-Betlehem nga sakop sa Juda miadto sa Moab uban sa iyang asawa ug duha ka anak nga lalaki, aron didto lang una mopuyo. Ang ngalan sa iyang asawa mao si Noemi ug ang ilang duha ka anak mao si Mahlon ug si Kilion. Mga kaliwat sila ni Efrata nga taga-Betlehem.
Sa dihang didto na sila nagpuyo sa Moab, 3namatay si Elimelec. Busa si Noemi na lang uban sa iyang duha ka anak nga lalaki ang nahibilin. 4Nangaminyo ang iyang mga anak ug mga babayeng Moabihanon. Ang ngalan sa usa mao si Orpah ug ang usa mao si Ruth. Paglabay sa napulo ka tuig, 5namatay usab sila si Mahlon ug si Kilion, busa si Noemi na lang ang nahibilin.
6Sa dihang nabalitaan ni Noemi nga gipanalanginan sa Ginoo ang iyang katawhan pinaagi sa iyang paghatag kanila ug maayong abot, nangandam siya sa pagbalik sa Juda uban ang iyang mga umagad. 7Ug sa dihang nagalakaw sila balik sa Juda, 8miingon si Noemi sa iyang duha ka umagad, “Balik na lang kamo sa inyong inahan. Hinaut pa nga pakitaan kamo ug kaayo sa Ginoo, maingon nga gipakita ninyo ang inyong kaayo nganhi kanako ug sa nangamatay ninyong mga bana. 9Ug hinaut nga itugot sa Ginoo nga maminyo kamo pag-usab aron mapahimutang kamo sa inyong bag-ong panimalay.”
Unya gihagkan sila ni Noemi. Nanghilak silag kusog 10ug miingon kang Noemi, “Mouban kami kanimo sa pagbalik mo ngadto sa imong mga katagilungsod.” 11-12Apan miingon si Noemi, “Pauli kamo sa inyo, mga anak. Nganong mouban pa man kamo kanako? Nagahunahuna ba kamo nga maminyo pa ako pag-usab ug manganak ug mga lalaki nga mahimo ninyong banahon? Dili na kana mahitabo pa kay tigulang na ako. Apan ibutang ta kon makapamana ako karong gabhiona ug unya manganak pa, 13hulaton ba ninyo silang mangdagko? Dili lang ba una kamo magminyo tungod kanila? Dili kana mahimo, mga anak. Sa pagkatinuod, mas pait ang akong kinabuhi kay kaninyo, kay gipaantos ako sa Ginoo.”
14Misamot na hinuon silag hilak ug kusog. Unya mihalok si Orpah sa iyang ugangan ug mipauli,1:14 ug mipauli: Anaa kini sa Septuagint, apan wala sa Hebreo. apan si Ruth nagpabilin uban kang Noemi. 15Miingon si Noemi, “Tan-awa ang imong bilas, mibalik na siya sa iyang mga katagilungsod ug sa iyang dios,1:15 dios: o, mga dios. busa uli na uban kaniya.” 16Apan mitubag si Ruth, “Ayaw ako pugsa sa pagbiya kanimo, kay bisan asa ka moadto adto usab ako moadto, ug bisan asa ka mopuyo didto usab ako mopuyo. Ang imong mga katawhan mahimo usab nga akong mga katawhan, ug ang imong Dios mahimo usab nga akong Dios. 17Kon asa ka mamatay, didto usab ako mamatay ug didto usab ilubong. Hinaut pa nga silotan ako sa Ginoo sa hilabihan gayod kon mubiya ako kanimo. Kamatayon lang ang makapahimulag kanako gikan kanimo.”
18Sa dihang nakita ni Noemi nga desidido gayod si Ruth sa pag-uban kaniya, mihilom na lang siya. 19Busa nagpadayon silang duha sa paglakaw hangtod nga nakaabot sila sa Betlehem. Pag-abot nila, nagkaguliyang ang tanang mga tawo. Miingon ang mga babaye, “Si Noemi ba gayod kini?”
20Miingon si Noemi kanila, “Ayaw ninyo ako tawgag Noemi,1:20 Noemi: Ang buot ipasabot, lami. kondili tawga ninyo ako ug Mara,1:20 Mara: Ang buot ipasabot, pait. kay gihimong labihan kapait sa Makagagahom nga Dios ang akong kinabuhi. 21Pagbiya ko dinhi anaa kanako ang tanan, apan gipabalik ako sa Ginoo nga walay nahot. Busa ayaw na ninyo ako tawgag Noemi, kay gipaantos ako sa Ginoo nga Makagagahom.”
22Mao pa lay pagsugod sa ting-ani sa barley sa pag-abot ni Noemi sa Betlehem uban sa iyang umagad nga si Ruth nga Moabihanon.
Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons
1There 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. 2The man’s name was Elimelek. His wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites whose home had been in Bethlehem in Judah. They went to Moab and lived there.
3Naomi’s husband Elimelek died. So she was left with her two sons. 4They married women from Moab. One was named Orpah. The other was named Ruth. Naomi’s family lived in Moab for about ten years. 5Then Mahlon and Kilion also died. So Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem
6While Naomi was in Moab, she heard that the Lord had helped his people. He had begun to provide food for them again. So Naomi and her two daughters-in-law prepared to go from Moab back to her home. 7She left the place where she had been living. Her daughters-in-law went with her. They started out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Both of you go back. Each of you go to your own mother’s home. You were kind to your husbands, who have died. You have also been kind to me. So may the Lord be just as kind to you. 9May the Lord help each of you find rest in the home of another husband.”
Then she kissed them goodbye. They broke down and wept loudly. 10They said to her, “We’ll go back to your people with you.”
11But Naomi said, “Go home, my daughters. Why would you want to come with me? Am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 12Go home, my daughters. I’m too old to have another husband. Suppose I thought there was still some hope for me. Suppose I married a man tonight. And later I had sons by him. 13Would you wait until they grew up? Would you stay single until you could marry them? No, my daughters. My life is more bitter than yours. The Lord’s power has turned against me!”
14When they heard that, they broke down and wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth held on to her.
15“Look,” said Naomi. “Your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16But Ruth replied, “Don’t try to make me leave you and go back. Where you go I’ll go. Where you stay I’ll stay. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. 17Where you die I’ll die. And there my body will be buried. I won’t let even death separate you from me. If I do, may the Lord punish me greatly.” 18Naomi realized that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her. So she stopped trying to make her go back.
19The two women continued on their way. At last they arrived in Bethlehem. The whole town was stirred up because of them. The women in the town asked, “Can this possibly be Naomi?”
20“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara. The Mighty One has made my life very bitter. 21I was full when I went away. But the Lord has brought me back empty. So why are you calling me Naomi? The Lord has made me suffer. The Mighty One has brought trouble on me.”
22So Naomi returned from Moab. Ruth, her daughter-in-law from Moab, came with her. They arrived in Bethlehem just when people were beginning to harvest the barley.
