Elimelexa, taras tsî ǀgôakha âb ǀkha, Moab ǃnâ
1 ǂHanuǂhanu-aogu ǂgaeǂguis ǁaeb ǃnâb ge ǃâtsūǀkhāba Israeli ǃnâ ge hā. Ob ge khoeb, Betlehems, Judab ǃnâ ǂnôas diba taras tsî ǀgôakha âb tsîn ǀkha ge doe, Moab ǀkharib ǃnâb sī ǃhaokhoese nî hâse. 2 ǁNā khoeb ge Elimelex ti ge ǀon hâ i tsî taras âba Naomi tsî ǀgôakha âb ge Maxlonni tsî Kiljonni tsîkha ge i, Efrataǁîn, Betlehems, Judab dis dina. Tsîn ge Moab ǀkharib ǃnâ sī ge ǁan. 3 Elimelexi, Naomis aob ge ǁō, os ge ǀgôakha ǀkha ǀgui ge ǃgau. 4 ǁÎkha ge Moabǁî tarara ge ǃgame; ǀguis ge Orpa ti ge ǀon hâ i tsî nausa Rut. ǁNāpan ge disi kuriga ge hâ, 5 tsî kha ge Maxlonni tsî Kiljonni tsîkha ona ge ǁō. ǁNātis ge Naomisa ǀguri ge ǃgau, aob tsî ǀgôakha âs tsîgu ose.
Naomis ge Ruts ǀkha Betlehems ǁga ra oa
6 Naomis ge ǃKhūb go ǁaes âba ǀkhae tsî ǀoasa ǃgaosa mā ǃkhaisa ǁnâu, os ge ǀuiǀgôara âs ǀkha ǂhomisen tsî Moab ǀkhariba xu ge ǁaru. 7 ǁÎdi ge hâ di ge i ǃkhaisa xu ge ǂoa, Judab ǃoa di nî ǁaruse. 8 Os ge Naomisa ǀuiǀgôara âs ǃoa ge mî: “Oa ro re, mâs hoasa ǁîs îs di oms ǁga. Ab ǃKhūba ǃgâidī ro re, saro ge ǁō ge gu tsî tita tsîna dības ǁkhās xase. 9 Îb ǃKhūba īǁkhā kai, mâs hoas âro aob tsî omma nî hōsa.”
Tsî ǁoa ras ge, o ra ge ge ātsoatsoa, 10 tsî ra ge ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “Sim ge sas ǀkha sa khoen ǁga nî ǃgû.”
11 Os ge Naomisa ge mî: “Oa ro re, ti ôa, tare-i ǃaroma ro kha tita nî sao? Tita kha xare ǁkhawa ǀgôakha hō ǁkhā ta nî, saro ǀkha nî ǃgamese? 12 Oa ro re, ti ôa, tita ǁkhawa ǃgamesa kairaba hâ xuige. Tsî ǂâi ta ka, īǁkhāsib hâsa tsî nē tsuxub ǂûb ǃnâ ǃgame tsî ǀgôakha ǁora, 13 xawe ǃâu ro nî kai kha nîs kōse? ǁKhaesen ro nî ǁkhawa ǃgamesa xu? ǁNās ge tita kaise saro ǃgâ-ai a auba, ǃKhūb go ti ǃoagu khâi amaga.”
14 ǁÎra ge ǁkhawa ge ātsoatsoa. Orpas ge ǀuiǁgûs âsa tawedeǁnāxū, xawes ge Rutsa ǁîsa ǁnāxū ǂgao tama ge i. 15 Os ge Naomisa ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “Mû, sa ǀgamis ge ǁîs ǁaes tsî elogu âs ǃoa go oa. Sas ona ǁîs ǀkha oa re.”
16 Xawes ge Rutsa ge mî: “Tā sasa ǁnāxū tsî ta nî oasa ǂgaoǀkhā te; sas ra ǃgûǀî ǃgû tsî ta ge sas ra hâpa nî hâ, sa ǁaes ge nî ti ǁae, tsî sa Elob ge nî ti Elo. 17 Sas ra ǁō ǃkhais ai ǁō tsî ta ge ǁnāpa nî ǁkhōhe. Ab ǃKhūba ǁkhōse ǁkhara te, ǁōb ǀguib ose iga ǀnî xū-e samma ǀgorao.”
18 Tsî Naomis ge mû, Ruts mîǁguib âs ai mâsa, os ge ge ǃnō.
19 ǁNāti ra ge ǁîra ge ǃgû Betlehems tawa ra ge sīs kōse. Betlehems ǃnâ ra ge sī, o di ge ǃās taradi hoade ge gongonǃnâhe, tsî di ge ge mî: “Nēsa kha Naomi tamasa!”
20 Os ge ge ǃeream: “Tā Naomi ti ǂgai te, î Mara ti ǂgai te, Hoaǀgaixab ge ûiba au-auba te xuige. 21 ǀOasase ūhâse ta ge nēpa xu ge doe, xaweb ge ǃKhūba ǀkhaiǃomse go oahā kai te. Tare-i ǃaroma du Naomi ti ra ǂgai te? ǃKhūb ge ti ǃoagu ge khâimâ, Hoaǀgaixab ge ge tsâtsâ te.”
22 Nētis ge Naomisa Moab ǀkhariba xu ǁîs di Moabǁî ǀuiǀgôas Ruts ǀkha ge oahā. ǁÎra ge ǃhoroǃgaos tsoatsoas ǁaeb ǃnâ Betlehems ǃnâ ge hā.
Ruth Is Loyal to Naomi
1-2 Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the clan of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed in Israel, they moved to the country of Moab. And while they were there, 3 Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with only her two sons.
4 Later, Naomi's sons married Moabite women. One was named Orpah and the other Ruth. About ten years later, 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died. Now Naomi had no husband or sons.
6-7 When Naomi heard that the Lord had given his people a good harvest, she and her two daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab and go to Judah. As they were on their way there, 8 Naomi said to them, “Don't you want to go back home to your own mothers? You were kind to my husband and sons, and you've always been kind to me. I pray that the Lord will be just as kind to you. 9 May he give each of you another husband and a home of your own.”
Naomi kissed them. They cried 10 and said, “We want to go with you and live among your people.”
11 But she replied, “My daughters, why don't you return home? What good will it do you to go with me? Do you think I could have more sons for you to marry? 12 You must go back home, because I am too old to marry again. Even if I got married tonight and later had more sons, 13 would you wait for them to become old enough to marry? No, my daughters! Life is harder for me than it is for you, because the Lord has turned against me.”
14 They cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her. 15 Naomi then said to Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and to her gods! Why don't you go with her?”
16 Ruth answered,
“Please don't tell me
to leave you
and return home!
I will go where you go,
I will live where you live;
your people will be my people,
your God will be my God.
17 I will die where you die
and be buried beside you.
May the Lord punish me
if we are ever separated,
even by death!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her to go back.
19 They reached Bethlehem, and the whole town was excited to see them. The women who lived there asked, “Can this really be Naomi?”
20 Then she told them, “Don't call me Naomi any longer! Call me Mara, because God has made my life bitter. 21 I had everything when I left, but the Lord has brought me back with nothing. How can you still call me Naomi, when God has turned against me and made my life so hard?”
22 The barley harvest was just beginning when Naomi and Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, arrived in Bethlehem.
