Elimelech and His Family Move to Moab
1-2 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, 3 Elimelech died, and Naomi was left alone with her two sons, 4 who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. About ten years later 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left all alone, without husband or sons.
Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem
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. 7 They started out together to go back to Judah, but on the way 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. 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 10 and said to her, “No! We will go 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? 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, 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.”
14 Again they started crying. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home, but Ruth held on to 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.”
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. 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!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
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?”
20 “Don't call me Naomi,” she answered; “call me Marah, because Almighty God has made my life bitter. 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?”
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.
Elimelek neṱunḓu re mave tjindire kOmoab
1 Rukuru Ovaisrael tji va honaparererwe i ovapangure, mwa ri ondjara mehi ndo. Nomurumendu worive ngwa zire kObetlehem mehi ra Juda wa sekamene okukatura oruveze oruṱiṱi mehi ra Moab otja owozonganda; nomukazendu we novazandu ve vevari va ire puna ye. 2 Nu indi ena romurumendu ra ri Elimelek, indi romukazendu ra ri Naomi, novazandu ve vevari va ri ooMahlon na Kilion. Elimelek wa ri Omuefrat na katura kObetlehem mehi ra Juda. Nowo va ire kOmoab nave katura ngo. 3 Nu Elimelek wa koka, nomukazendu we Naomi ongwa sewa puna ovazandu ve aveyevari. 4 Novazandu mba va kupa ovasuko vOvamoab; omusuko umwe wa rukirwe Orpa, nomukwao Rut. Nowo va turire ngo oure wozombura omurongo. 5 Mahlon na Kilion wina va koka, nu Naomi wa sewa erike, nokuhinovazandu ve aveyevari, nokuhinomurumendu we wina.
Naomi na Rut mave yaruka kObetlehem
6 Naomi tja zuva kutja Muhona wa vaterere ovandu ve, indu tje ve pere ovikurya, eye otje rirongera okuyaruka, narire tja tjindi okuza mOmoab puna ovakazendu mba ovakwe ve aveyevari. 7 Neye wa sekama na yaruka kOjuda puna wo. 8 Nungwari mondjira Naomi wa tja nai ku wo: “Yarukeye, auhe konganda yaina. Muhona nga kare notjari na eṋe otja tji mwa tjita ku imba mba koka na ku ami wina. 9 Nu Muhona nga tjite kutja auhe weṋu a kupwe rukwao nokukara nonganda.” Naomi arire tje ve hupite. Nungwari owo va uta okurira tjinene, 10 nave tja ku ye: “Kako, eṱe matu vanga okuyenda puna ove komuhoko woye.”
11 Nu Naomi we ve zira a tja: “Yarukeye, vanatje vandje! Okutjavi tji mamu vanga okuyenda puna ami? Ami nai mee kakara novazandu rukwao okukemukupa are? 12 Yarukeye kozoyeṋu! Ami mba kurupa tjinene okukupwa rukwao. Andakuzu me ripura kutja mbi nomaundjiro okukupwa poo andakuzu me kupwa ndino ongurova ne panduka ovazandu, 13 eṋe hapo atja mu undja nga tji ve kuru kutja ve mu kupe are? Atja mu ritjaera okukupwa i ovarumendu varwe are? Vasuko vandje, eṋe mamu tjiwa kutja kape nokuyenena; orondu Muhona wendji tanaukira, nu me ṱondjenda na eṋe tjinene.”
14 Nowo va uta okurira tjinene rukwao. Orpa wa hupita nokuvirikiza ina omukwe we na yaruka komuhoko wawo; nungwari ingwi Rut we rimanga mu ye. 15 Naomi wa tja ku Rut: “Tara, omukweṋu wa yaruka komuhoko na koomukuru vawo. Ove wina yaruka, kongorera omukweṋu!”
16 Nungwari Rut wa zira a tja: “O ndji ṋiṋikiza okuza po pove; o ndji tjaere okuyenda puna ove. Akuhe ku mo i, ami oku me i, akuhe ku mo katura, ami oku me katura. Omuhoko woye owo omuhoko wandje; nu Ndjambi woye eye Ndjambi wandje. 17 Ove ku mo kakokera, ami oku me kakokera, nu oku me kapakwa. Muhona nga tjite ku ami atjihe tji ma vanga; onḓiro porwayo nga rire ndje tu haṋa.”
18 Nu Naomi tja muna kutja Rut we rimana okuyenda puna ye, eye ka uharere ama hungire rukwao.
19 Nowo aveyevari va kayenda pamwe nga tji va kavaza kObetlehem, nu tji va kahita mu tjo, otjirongo atjihe arire tji tja kumwa, nu imba ovakazendu ve ripura ave tja: “ONaomi ngwi are?”
20 Neye wa zira a tja: “Amu ndji isana Naomi, okutja Omuṋingandu; ndji isaneye Mara, okutja Omunandjenda; orondu Ndjambi, Omunamasaaehe, tje ndji munisa ouzeu tjinene. 21 Ami tji mba zire muno mba ri novingi, nungwari Muhona we ndji kotora tjo. Okutjavi tji mamu ndji isana Naomi, Omunamasaaehe ngunda e ndji etera oviwonga nu e ndji hihamisa?”
22 Komuhingo mbwi Naomi otja kotoka okuza kOmoab puna Rut, omukwe we Omumoab. Nowo va vaza kObetlehem moruveze rwomakondero wovirya.
