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.
Naomi noshitenya shaye
1 Mefimbo linya ovatokolipangeli va pangela, ondjala ye uya moshilongo. Onghee hano omulumenhu umwe womuBetlehem shomuJuda a dja po a ka kale ngaashi omunailongo medu laMoab; ye nomwalikadi waye novana vaye ovamati vavali. 2 Edina lomulumenhu oElimelek, nedina lomwalikadi waye Naomi, nomadina ovana vaye ovamati vavali: Mahlon naKiljon. Vo Ovaefrat vomuBetlehem shomuJuda, ndele ve uya medu laMoab ndele oko va kala.
3 Ndele Elimelek, omulumenhu waNaomi okwa fya, ndelenee Naomi novana vaye ovamati vavali va xupa po, 4 ndele va hombolela ko ovalikadi Ovamoab. Edina laumwe oOrpa, nedina lamukwao oRut. Ndele vo va kala ko omido ngeno omulongo. 5 Ndele Mahlon naKiljon, aveshe vavali, eshi va fya nomwalikadi a fiwa po kovana vaye ovamati vavali nokomulumenhu waye. 6 Ye okwa fikama pamwe noitenya yaye nokwa dja mo medu laMoab, osheshi okwa li a uda medu laMoab nokutya, Omwene okwa dimbulukwa oshiwana shaye noku shi pa omungome. 7 Osho ngaha hano ye okwa fiya po eumbo laye nokwa dja po pamwe noitenya yaye ivali. Ndelenee ye eshi a li mondjila okushuna koshilongo shaJuda, 8 Naomi ta lombwele oitenya yaye ivali ta ti: Indeni, shuneni komaumbo oonyoko. Omwene ne mu file onghenda ngaashi nye mwa fila ovafi naame onghenda. 9 Omwene ne shi mu wanifile mu mone onhele yetulumuko keshe umwe womeumbo lomulumenhu waye. Nokwe va xupita. Ndelenee vo ova yelula ondaka yavo ndele tava lili, 10 ndele tava ti kuye: “Ahowe, fye otwa hala okuya pamwe naave koshiwana sheni.” 11 Ndelenee Naomi ta ti: Ovamwange, shuneni! Omolwashike mwa hala okuya naame? Ame ndi na ngeno ovana ovamati medimo lange, vo va shiive okuninga ngeno ovalumenhu veni? 12 Ovamwange, shuneni, indeni! Osheshi ame onda kulupa, itandi hombolwa vali. Ndele nande ondi tye: ndi neteelelo natango, ndele nande ondi kale oufiku wonena nomulumenhu ndele ndi dale ounona oulume, 13 nye otamu dulu tuu ngeno oku va teelela fiyo tava kulu? Nye mu kale ngeno mwa anya mu hombolwe vali? Ahowe, vamwange, ame ondi noluhodi linene omolweni, osheshi eke lOmwene la hanga nge. 14 Opo nee va yelula ondaka yavo ndele tava lili vali. Ndele Orpa okwa xupita inamweno ndele ta i, ndelenee Rut okwa kanyatela kuye.
15 Opo nee ye ta ti: “Tala, hautenyamukweni okwa piluka nokwa shuna koshiwana shavo nokoikalunga yavo. Shikula hano hautenyamukweni.” 16 Ndelenee Rut ta ti: “Ino lombwela nge, ndi ku fiye po ndi shune ko ndiha ye naave. Osheshi keshe apa to i, naame yo ohandi ka ya ko, ndele keshe apa ho kala, naame yo ohandi ka kala ko. Oshiwana shoye osho oshiwana shange, naKalunga koye Oye Kalunga kange. 17 Apa to file, naame ohandi ka fila po nokupakwa. Omwene na yukife nge ngaashi a hala. Efyo olo alike nali tu tukaule kumwe!” 18 Hano ye eshi a mona, kutya a hala shili okuya naye, ine mu fininika vali neendjovo. 19 Ndele vo vavali ova enda nondjila fiyo tava fiki kuBetlehem. Ndele vo eshi ve uya kuBetlehem, oshilando ashishe she va ongalela novalikadi tava ti: “Oye tuu Naomi?” 20 Opo nee ye okwe va nyamukula ta ti: “Inamu ifana nge Naomi, ndelenee ifaneni nge Mara, osheshi Omunaenghono adishe a ningila nge oululu uhapu. 21 Ame onda ile oshipuna, ndelenee Omwene okwa alula nge hamakasha. Omolwashike mu kale hamu ifana nge Naomi, Omwene eshi a ninipika nge nOmunaenghono adishe okwa ningila nge owii?” 22 Osho ngaha hano Naomi okwa aluka noshitenya shaye Rut, Omumoabi, pamwe naye va dja kepumbu laMoab. Ndele ve uya kuBetlehem pehovelo leteyo loilya.
