Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was a famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. While they were living there,
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It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
3 Elimelech died, and Naomi was left alone with her two sons,
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Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. About ten years later
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They took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about ten years.
5 Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left all alone, without husband or sons.
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Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
6 Some time later Naomi heard that the Lord had blessed his people by giving them good crops; so she got ready to leave Moab with her daughters-in-law.
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Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 They started out together to go back to Judah, but on the way
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She went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8 she said to them, "Go back home and stay with your mothers. May the Lord be as good to you as you have been to me and to those who have died.
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Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house: Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 And may the Lord make it possible for each of you to marry again and have a home." So Naomi kissed them good-bye. But they started crying
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Yahweh grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 and said to her, "No! We will go with you to your people."
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They said to her, No, but we will return with you to your people.
11 "You must go back, my daughters," Naomi answered. "Why do you want to come with me? Do you think I could have sons again for you to marry?
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Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Go back home, for I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and so got married tonight and had sons,
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Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;
13 would you wait until they had grown up? Would this keep you from marrying someone else? No, my daughters, you know that's impossible. The Lord has turned against me, and I feel very sorry for you."
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would you therefore wait until they were grown? would you therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh is gone forth against me.
14 Again they started crying. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home, but Ruth held on to her.
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They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.
15 So Naomi said to her, "Ruth, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Go back home with her."
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She said, Behold, your sister-in-law is gone back to her people, and to her god: return you after your sister-in-law.
16 But Ruth answered, "Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
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Ruth said, "Don't entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after 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 Wherever you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord's worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!"
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where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried: Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me."
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
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When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.
19 They went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived, the whole town became excited, and the women there exclaimed, "Is this really Naomi?"
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So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. It happened, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and [the women] said, Is this Naomi?
20 "Don't call me Naomi," she answered; "call me Marah, because Almighty God has made my life bitter.
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She said to them, "Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 When I left here, I had plenty, but the Lord has brought me back without a thing. Why call me Naomi when the Lord Almighty has condemned me and sent me trouble?"
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I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"
22 This, then, was how Naomi came back from Moab with Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the barley harvest was just beginning.
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So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.