Ruth / Naomi's Loss and Ruth's Loyalty

Naomi's Loss and Ruth's Loyalty

Ruth 1:1-22

Chapter 1

¹ And it was in the days of the judges, and there was a famine in the land. And a man went from Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab—he and his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. And they came to the fields of Moab, and they were there. ³ And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left, she and her two sons. ⁴ And they took wives from Moabite women for themselves; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth, and they dwelt there about ten years. ⁵ And they both died, Mahlon and Chilion, and the woman was left as a remnant from her two children and from her husband. ⁶ She arose with her daughters-in-law and returned from the fields of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people to give them bread. ⁷ She went out from the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. ⁸ Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Return each to her mother's house. May the LORD show you steadfast love, just as you have done with the dead and with me." ⁹ May the LORD give you rest, each of you in a husband's house. And she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. ¹⁰ They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." ¹¹ And Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Am I still having sons in my womb that they would be husbands for you?" ¹² Return, my daughters, for I am too old to marry a man. For I said, 'There is hope for me; even if I were tonight to marry a man and even bore sons.' ¹³ Would these return until they grow up? Would these be left not to be for a man for my daughters? For I am very bitter to you, for the hand of the LORD has gone out against me. ¹⁴ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵ And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her God—return after your sister-in-law." ¹⁶ And Ruth said, "Do not urge me to abandon you or to return from following you, for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God my God." ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do this to me, and more also, for only death will separate us. ¹⁸ When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her. ¹⁹ And the two of them went until she came to Bethlehem. And it was, when she came to Bethlehem, that all the city buzzed over them, and they said, "This is Naomi." ²⁰ And she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for Shaddai has made me very bitter." ²¹ I went out full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi when the LORD has testified against me and God has done evil to me? ²² So Naomi returned, along with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who had come back from the fields of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.