章 |
1:1 |
Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.
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1:2 |
The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.
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1:3 |
Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.
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1:4 |
They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.
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1:5 |
Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.
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1:6 |
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food.
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1:7 |
So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
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1:8 |
And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
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1:9 |
"May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
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1:10 |
And they said to her, "No, but we will surely return with you to your people."
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1:11 |
But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
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1:12 |
"Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,
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1:13 |
would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me."
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1:14 |
And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
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1:15 |
Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law."
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1:16 |
But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
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1:17 |
"Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."
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1:18 |
When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
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1:19 |
So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"
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1:20 |
She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
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1:21 |
"I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?"
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1:22 |
So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
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