1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took wives for them of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth, and they dwelt there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died, both of them, and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
6 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 LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 And 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 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house. LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 LORD grant you that ye 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, but we will return with thee to thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Why will ye go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 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 ye therefore delay till they were grown? Would ye therefore stay from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of LORD has gone forth against me.
14 And they lifted up their voices, and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Return thou after thy sister-in-law.
16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for where thou go, I will go, and where thou lodge, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
17 Where thou die, I will die, and there I will be buried. LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts thee and me.
18 And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.
19 So those two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they came to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and [the women] said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said to them, Call me not Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do ye call me Naomi, seeing LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?
22 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.