1 There was a famine during the time when the judges ruled1:1. Literally "when judges judged," but this was in an executive role, rather than simply judicial. Israel, so a man left Bethlehem in Judah and went to live in exile in the country of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.
16 But Ruth replied, "Please don’t keep on telling me to leave you and go back. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me harshly if I let anything but death separate us!"
20 She said to them, "Don’t call me Naomi! Call me Mara,1:20. Naomi means "happy," while Mara means "bitter." for the Almighty has treated me very bitterly. 21 I left here full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has condemned me, when the Almighty has brought disaster on me?"