Mar 19, 2018
Ruth 1:1-22
In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land,
and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in
the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name
of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife
Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They
were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah.
They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But
Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the
one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth.
They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion
died, so that the woman was left without her two
sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to
return from the country of Moab, for she had
heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people
and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place
where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the
way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi
said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her
mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you,
as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that
you may find rest, each of you in the house of her
husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and
wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return
with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my
daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in
my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my
daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a
husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a
husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you
therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain
from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is
exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord
has gone out against me.”14 Then they lifted up their
voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth
clung to her.15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone
back to her people and to her gods; return after your
sister-inlaw.”
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from
following you. For where you go I will go, and
where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and
your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and
there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if
anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when
Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
19 So the two of them went on until they came to
Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was
stirred because of them. And the women said,
“Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call
me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly
with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back
empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has
testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon
me?” 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite
her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of
Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning
of barley harvest.