1 在士师统治期间， 国内发生了饥荒。有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子， 从犹大的伯利恒前往摩押地去， 寄居在那里。 2 这个人名叫以利米勒， 妻子名叫拿俄米， 两个儿子叫玛伦和基连， 都是犹大伯利恒的以法他人。他们到了摩押地， 就在那里住下来了。 3 后来拿俄米的丈夫以利米勒去世了， 留下她和两个儿子。 4 他们娶了摩押女子作妻子， 一个名叫俄耳巴， 一个名叫路得。他们在那里住了约有十年。 5 后来， 玛伦和基连二人也死了， 留下拿俄米， 既没有了两个儿子， 又没有了丈夫。 6 拿俄米还在摩押地的时候， 因为听说耶和华眷顾他的子民， 赐粮食给他们， 就带着两个媳妇动身从摩押地回来。 7 她离开居住的地方， 两个媳妇也随她出发， 要回到犹大地去。 8 拿俄米对两个媳妇说： "去吧， 你们还是各自回娘家吧。愿耶和华恩待你们， 像你们善待已死的人和我一样。 9 愿耶和华使你们各人有机会再嫁（"有机会再嫁"原文作"在丈夫家里"）， 找到归宿。"跟着亲吻她们， 她们就发声大哭， 10 说： "不， 我们一定要跟你一起回到你同胞那里去。" 11 拿俄米说： "我女儿啊， 你们回去吧， 为什么要跟我去呢？我肚子里还有儿子作你们的丈夫吗？ 12 走吧， 我女儿啊， 你们回去吧， 因为我太老， 不能嫁人了， 就算我说我还有希望今天晚上有个丈夫， 又生儿子， 13 你们可以等到他们长大吗？你们可以为他们守节而不嫁人吗？不行， 我女儿啊， 我为你们非常难过， 因为耶和华伸手对付我。" 14 她们又放声大哭。俄耳巴就和婆婆吻别， 路得却舍不得离开拿俄米。 15 拿俄米说： "你看， 你嫂嫂已经回到她同胞和她的神那里去了。你也跟着嫂嫂回去吧。" 16 路得说： "请不要逼我离开你回去， 不跟从你。你到哪里去， 我也要到哪里去； 你在哪里过夜， 我也要在哪里过夜； 你的同胞就是我的同胞， 你的 神就是我的 神； 17 你死在哪里， 我也要死在哪里， 葬在哪里。除非死亡把你我分离； 如果我离开你， 愿耶和华加倍惩罚我。" 18 拿俄米看路得坚决要跟她走， 就不再多费唇舌了。 19 她们双双上路， 来到伯利恒。她们到达的时候， 全城都因她们的缘故骚动起来。妇女们说： "这是拿俄米吗？" 20 拿俄米对她们说： "不要叫我拿俄米， 叫我玛拉吧， 因为全能者使我吃尽了苦头。 21 我满满地出去， 耶和华却使我空空地回来， 你们为什么还叫我拿俄米呢？耶和华折磨我， 全能者加害于我。" 22 拿俄米就这样回来了。她媳妇摩押女子路得随着她从摩押地回来。她们到达伯利恒， 正是开始收割大麦的时候。

1 And it cometh to pass, in the days of the judging of the judges, that there is a famine in the land, and there goeth a man from Beth-Lehem-Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.2 And the name of the man [is] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth-Lehem-Judah; and they come into the fields of Moab, and are there.3 And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth, and she is left, she and her two sons;4 and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one [is] Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.5 And they die also, both of them -- Mahlon and Chilion -- and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.6 And she riseth, she and her daughters-in-law, and turneth back from the fields of Moab, for she hath heard in the fields of Moab that God hath looked after His people, -- to give to them bread.7 And she goeth out from the place where she hath been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they go in the way to turn back unto the land of Judah.8 And Naomi saith to her two daughters-in-law, `Go, turn back, each to the house of her mother; Jehovah doth with you kindness as ye have done with the dead, and with me;9 Jehovah doth grant to you, and find ye rest each in the house of her husband;` and she kisseth them, and they lift up their voice and weep.10 And they say to her, `Surely with thee we go back to thy people.`11 And Naomi saith, `Turn back, my daughters; why do ye go with me? are there yet to me sons in my bowels that they have been to you for husbands?12 Turn back, my daughters, go, for I am too aged to be to a husband; though I had said, There is for me hope, also, I have been to-night to a husband, and also I have borne sons:13 for them do ye wait till that they grow up? for them do ye shut yourselves up, not to be to a husband? nay, my daughters, for more bitter to me than to you, for the hand of Jehovah hath gone out against me.`14 And they lift up their voice, and weep again, and Orpah kisseth her mother-in-law, and Ruth hath cleaved to her.15 And she saith, `Lo, thy sister-in-law hath turned back unto her people, and unto her god, turn thou back after thy sister-in-law.`16 And Ruth saith, `Urge me not to leave thee -- to turn back from after thee; for whither thou goest I go, and where thou lodgest I lodge; thy people [is] my people, and thy God my God.17 Where thou diest I die, and there I am buried; thus doth Jehovah to me, and thus doth He add -- for death itself doth part between me and thee.`18 And she seeth that she is strengthening herself to go with her, and she ceaseth to speak unto her;19 and they go both of them till their coming in to Beth-Lehem; and it cometh to pass at their coming in to Beth-Lehem, that all the city is moved at them, and they say, `Is this Naomi?`20 And she saith unto them, `Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,21 I went out full, and empty hath Jehovah brought me back, why do ye call me Naomi, and Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath done evil to me?`22 And Naomi turneth back, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who hath turned back from the fields of Moab, and they have come in to Beth-Lehem at the commencement of barley-harvest.