Naomi àti Rutu
1Ní ìgbà tí àwọn onídàájọ́ ń ṣe àkóso ilẹ̀ Israẹli, ìyàn kan mú ní ilẹ̀ náà, ọkùnrin kan láti Bẹtilẹhẹmu ti Juda, òun àti aya rẹ̀ pẹ̀lú àwọn ọmọ rẹ̀ ọkùnrin méjì lọ láti máa gbé ní ilẹ̀ Moabu fún ìgbà díẹ̀. 2Orúkọ ọkùnrin náà ń jẹ́ Elimeleki, orúkọ ìyàwó rẹ̀ ni Naomi, orúkọ àwọn ọmọ rẹ̀ méjèèjì sì ni Maloni àti Kilioni àwọn ará Efrata, ti Bẹtilẹhẹmu ti Juda. Wọ́n sì lọ sí ilẹ̀ Moabu, wọ́n ń gbé níbẹ̀.
3Ní àsìkò tí wọ́n ń gbé ibẹ̀, Elimeleki, ọkọ Naomi kú, ó sì ku òun pẹ̀lú àwọn ọmọ rẹ̀ ọkùnrin méjèèjì. 4Wọ́n sì fẹ́ àwọn ọmọbìnrin ará Moabu méjì, orúkọ ọ̀kan ń jẹ́ Oripa, èkejì sì ń jẹ́ Rutu. Lẹ́yìn ìgbà tí wọ́n sì ti gbé níbẹ̀ fún bí ọdún mẹ́wàá, 5Maloni àti Kilioni náà sì kú, Naomi sì wà láìsí ọkọ tàbí ọmọ kankan fún un mọ́.
6Nígbà tí Naomi gbọ́ ní Moabu tí ó wà wí pé Olúwa ti bẹ àwọn ènìyàn rẹ̀ wò nípa fífún wọn ní ọ̀pọ̀ oúnjẹ. Ó sì dìde pẹ̀lú àwọn ìyàwó ọmọ rẹ̀ méjèèjì láti padà sí ìlú rẹ̀. 7Òun pẹ̀lú àwọn ìyàwó ọmọ rẹ̀ méjèèjì ni wọ́n jọ fi ibi tí ó ń gbé sílẹ̀ tí wọ́n sì bẹ̀rẹ̀ ìrìnàjò wọn padà sí ilẹ̀ Juda.
8Ṣùgbọ́n ní ojú ọ̀nà, Naomi wí fún àwọn aya ọmọ rẹ̀ méjèèjì pé, “Kí ẹnìkọ̀ọ̀kan yín padà sí ilé ìyá rẹ̀. Kí Olúwa ṣe àánú fún yín bí ẹ ti ṣe sí èmi àti àwọn ọkọ yín tí ó kú. 9Kí Olúwa kí ó fi yín lọ́kàn balẹ̀ ní ilé ọkọ mìíràn.”
Naomi sì fi ẹnu kò wọ́n ní ẹnu wí pé “Ó dìgbà,” Wọ́n sì sọkún kíkankíkan. 10Wọ́n sì wí fún un pé, “Rárá, a ó bà ọ lọ sí ọ̀dọ̀ àwọn ènìyàn rẹ.”
11Ṣùgbọ́n Naomi dáhùn wí pé, “Ẹ padà sílé ẹ̀yin ọmọ mi. Nítorí kí ni ẹ fi fẹ́ wá pẹ̀lú mi? Ṣé mo tún le bí àwọn ọmọkùnrin mìíràn ni, tí ó le ṣe ọkọ yin? 12Ẹ padà sílé, ẹ̀yin ọmọ mi, nítorí èmi ti di arúgbó jù láti ní ọkọ mìíràn. Bí èmí wí pé, Èmí ní ìrètí, bí èmí tilẹ̀ ní ọkọ mìíràn ní alẹ́ yìí, tí èmí sì bí àwọn ọmọkùnrin mìíràn, 13ẹ̀yin ha le è dúró dìgbà tí wọ́n yóò fi dàgbà? Ẹ̀yin ó le è dúró dè wọ́n láì fẹ́ ọkọ mìíràn? Rárá, ẹ̀yin ọmọbìnrin mi, nítorí pé inú mi bàjẹ́ gidigidi ju tiyín lọ, nítorí tí ọwọ́ Olúwa fi jáde sí mi!”
14Wọ́n sì gbé ohùn wọn sókè, wọ́n sì tún sọkún. Nígbà náà ní Oripa fi ẹnu ko ìyá ọkọ rẹ̀ ní ẹnu wí pé ó dìgbà, ṣùgbọ́n Rutu dì mọ́ ọn síbẹ̀.
15Naomi wí pé, “Wò ó, arábìnrin rẹ ti padà lọ sí ọ̀dọ̀ àwọn ènìyàn rẹ̀ àti òrìṣà rẹ̀, ìwọ náà padà pẹ̀lú rẹ̀.”
16Ṣùgbọ́n Rutu dáhùn wí pé, “Má ṣe rọ̀ mí láti fi ọ́ sílẹ̀ tàbí láti padà lẹ́yìn rẹ. Ibi tí ìwọ bá lọ ní èmi yóò lọ, ibi ti ìwọ bá dúró ni èmi yóò dúró, àwọn ènìyàn rẹ ni yóò jẹ́ ènìyàn mi, Ọlọ́run rẹ ni yóò sì jẹ́ Ọlọ́run, mi, 17Níbi tí ìwọ bá kú sí ni èmi yóò kú sí, níbẹ̀ ni wọn yóò sì sin mí sí. Kí Olúwa jẹ mí ní ìyà tí ó lágbára, bí ohunkóhun bí kò ṣe ikú bá yà wá.” 18Nígbà tí Naomi rí i wí pé Rutu ti pinnu láti tẹ̀lé òun kò rọ̀ láti padà mọ́.
19Àwọn méjèèjì sì ń lọ títí wọ́n fi dé ìlú Bẹtilẹhẹmu. Nígbà tí wọ́n dé ibẹ̀, ariwo ìpadàbọ̀ wọn gba ìlú kan, àwọn obìnrin ibẹ̀ sì kígbe ní ohùn rara wí pé, “Naomi ni èyí bí?”
20Naomi sì dáhùn wí pé, “Ẹ má ṣe pè mí ní Naomi. Ẹ pè mí ní Mara (Ìkorò), nítorí wí pé Olódùmarè ti mú kí ayé mi di kíkorò. 21Mo jáde ní kíkún, ṣùgbọ́n Olúwa mú mi padà ní òfo. Nítorí náà kín ló dé tí ẹ fi ń pè mí ní Naomi, nígbà tí Olódùmarè ti kọ̀ mí sílẹ̀, tí ó sì mú ìdààmú bá mi?”
22Báyìí ni Naomi ṣe padà láti Moabu pẹ̀lú Rutu, ará Moabu ìyàwó ọmọ rẹ̀. Wọ́n gúnlẹ̀ sí Bẹtilẹhẹmu ní ìbẹ̀rẹ̀ ìkórè ọkà barle.
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 realised 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.
