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.
Elimeleki ne nsha uwe ku Moabu
1 Kwakati mu misi yakabe ibusa Basumikilisi kukabe ne bhamba mu shango. Ngono mmwe nlume we Bhetelehema mu ntuthu we Juda kayenda kunolubila mu shango ye Moabu ana nkadzi uwe ne bakololo babe babili. 2 Zina le nlume iwoyo lakabe liyi Elimeleki le nkadzi uwe kuyi Naomi, mazina e bakololo babe kuyi Mahiloni na Kilioni, bali Baefurata be Bhetelehema mu Juda. Bakayenda ku shango ye Moabu bakanogalako. 3 Elimeleki nlume wa Naomi kafa, ngono Naomi kasala ne bakololo babe babili. 4 Bakololo ibabo bakalobola bakadzi be Moabu, zina le mmwe kuyi Opha, le mmwe kuyi Ruti, ngono bakagala ikoko makole ali gumi. 5 Mahiloni na Kilioni bakafabo, ndizo Naomi kasala asitjina bana ne nlume.
Naomi na Ruti banobgwilila ku Bhetelehema
6 Ipapo kamilika ne balongo babe kubgwilila kanyi kwabo, ngobe ahwa ali mu Moabu kuti Yahwe bakakumbula bathu babo bakabapa zojiwa. 7 Kadwa ne balongo babe babili kwaakabe egala, bakatola zila kubgwilila ku shango ye Juda. 8 Ngono Naomi kadwa balongo babe babili kati, “Yendani mmwe ne mmwe wenyu abgwilile ku nzi wa mmeyabe. Yahwe bamubhate zubuyanana sekwa makabhata bafi nami. 9 Yahwe bamupe kugadzikana, mmwe ne mmwe wenyu mu nzi we nlume unowonlobola.” Ipapo kabaputa, ngono bakamilidza mahwi abo bakalila. 10 Bakandwa bakati, “Aa, iswi tobgwilila namwi ku bathu bakanyi kwenyu.”
11 Ngono Naomi kabe eti, “Bgwililani bana bangu. Mowobe muyendilani nami? Apa kutjina bamwe bakololo mu ntumbu wangu bangamulobola kene? 12 Bgwililani bana bangu. Yendani zwenyu, ngoti ndakwegula andingatjabe ne nlume. Na iko ha ndingati ndina kugalabgwe kuti ndingawana nlume mu busiku igogu abe ne bakololo, 13 mungabalindila kuswikila bekula kene? Mungagala musina balume? Aa, bana bangu, ndakabhaika kwazo kupinda sekwa muli iko, ngoti tjiazha tja Yahwe tjobhayana nami.”
14 Ipapo bakamilidza mahwi abo kakale, bakalila kwazo. Opha kaputa mmezwale babe kabawoneka, koga Ruti kabanamatila. 15 Naomi kabe eti, “Bona nlongwana uwo wabgwilila kuna bakanyi kwabo ne ku midzimu iye, bgwilila naye.”
16 Koga Ruti kashandula eti,
“Musinditshindilidze kuthubukana namwi
ne kuti ndisimutobele,
ngoti kwamunoyenda ndowoyendaboko
ne kwamunolala ndowolalaboko,
bakanyi kwenyu banowobe bakanyi kwangubo
ne Ndzimu wenyu unowobe Ndzimu wangubo.
17 Pamunofila ndowofilabopo
abuya abiganyiwapo.
“Yahwe bandilobe bapaphulule, ha tjimwe tjingandithubukanya namwi kuzhe kwe lufu.”
18 Naomi kati ebona kuti Ruti wakazwimisila kuyenda naye, kanletja. 19 Ndizo bubili gwabo bakayenda kudzina benoswika ku Bhetelehema.
Bakati beswika mu Bhetelehema nzi wose ukadzongeka ngekwabo, ngono bakadzi bakati, “Ndi Naomi iwoyu kene?”
20 Naomi iye kabe eti ku bali, “Musindidane muti ‘Naomi,’ mundidane muti ‘Mara,’ ngoti Masimbawose bakathama kuti butjilo gwangu gubipe kwazo. 21 Imi ndakayenda ndakatuta, koga Yahwe bandibuza ndakalembedza maboko. Mondidanilani muti ‘Naomi?’ Yahwe bakandifupatila, Masimbawose bakandidziyidza.”
22 Ndizo Naomi kabuya edwa ku Moabu ana Ruti we N'moabu nlongo uwe, bakaswika mu Bhetelehema mu tjibaka tje kuvung'wa mathunde anoyi bhali.