Ruths Bog 1 – BPH & NIV

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Ruths Bog 1:1-22

Ruths troskab imod No’omi

1-2Engang under dommertiden i Israel blev landet ramt af en voldsom hungersnød. En mand ved navn Elimelek af Efrat-slægten flyttede derfor fra Betlehem i Juda til Moabs land for at bo der som fremmed sammen med sin kone, No’omi, og deres to sønner, Malon og Kiljon. 3Mens de boede i Moab, døde Elimelek, så No’omi sad alene tilbage med sine to sønner. 4-5De to unge mænd fandt sig hver en kone blandt moabitterne. Malon giftede sig med en pige, der hed Ruth, og Kiljon giftede sig med Orpa. Da de havde boet i Moab i hen ved ti år, døde både Malon og Kiljon, og No’omi var nu helt alene—uden mand og børn.

6-7På den tid fik hun at vide, at Herren havde forbarmet sig over sit folk, så der igen var mad at få i Juda. Derfor besluttede hun at forlade Moab og vende tilbage til sit hjem i Betlehem. Sammen med sine to svigerdøtre begav hun sig af sted ad vejen til Juda.

8Da de havde gået et stykke tid, sagde No’omi til sine svigerdøtre: „Det er bedst, I går hjem til jeres forældre. Må Herren vise jer sin godhed på grund af den godhed, I har vist mod mine to sønner og mig, 9og må han hjælpe jer begge til at blive gift igen og få et godt og trygt hjem.” Så kyssede hun dem farvel, og de brast i højlydt gråd.

10„Men vi vil gerne følge med dig hjem til dit folk!” sagde de to unge kvinder.

11„Nej, I må hellere vende tilbage til jeres eget folk,” svarede No’omi. „Jeg har jo ikke andre sønner, I kan blive gift med. 12Derfor er det bedst, at I vender tilbage til jeres familier. Jeg er for gammel til at gifte mig igen—og selv om jeg gjorde, og jeg blev gravid og fødte sønner med det samme, 13ville I så vente til de blev voksne? Nej, mine piger! For mig er det mere bittert end for jer, for det er Herrens hånd, som har ramt mig med denne tragedie!”

14Så græd de igen. Orpa kyssede nu sin svigermor farvel og vendte om for at gå tilbage til sit barndomshjem, men Ruth ville ikke forlade No’omi.

15„Se, din svigerinde er allerede på vej tilbage til sit folk og sin gud,” sagde No’omi. „Du må hellere følge med.”

16Men Ruth svarede: „Tving mig ikke til at forlade dig! Hvor du går hen, vil jeg gå med. Dit hjem skal være mit hjem, dit folk skal være mit folk, og din Gud skal være min Gud. 17Og når jeg engang dør, vil jeg begraves ved din side. Må Herren straffe mig, hvis jeg tillader noget andet end døden at skille os!”

18Da No’omi så, at Ruth var fast besluttet på at gå med, holdt hun op med at forsøge at overtale hende. 19De to fortsatte så rejsen og ankom til Betlehem.

Der blev røre i hele byen ved deres ankomst.

„Jamen, er det ikke No’omi?” udbrød byens kvinder.

20Men No’omi sagde: „Kald mig ikke længere No’omi1,20 „No’omi” betyder „dejlig, elskelig, sød”.—kald mig hellere Mara!1,20 „Mara” betyder „bitter”. Den almægtige Gud har gjort mit liv bittert. 21Da jeg rejste herfra, havde jeg hele min familie, men nu vender jeg alene tilbage. Kald mig ikke No’omi, for Herren har dømt mig og ladet denne tragedie ramme mig!”

22Således vendte No’omi tilbage til Betlehem, og hun havde sin svigerdatter med fra Moabs land. Byghøsten var netop begyndt, da de ankom.

New International Version

Ruth 1:1-22

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

1In the days when the judges ruled,1:1 Traditionally judged there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

3Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

6When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”

Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

11But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”

14At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung 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 urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

19So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20“Don’t call me Naomi,1:20 Naomi means pleasant.” she told them. “Call me Mara,1:20 Mara means bitter. because the Almighty1:20 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 21 has made my life very bitter. 21I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted1:21 Or has testified against me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

22So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.