1:1-221 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
Naomi's sons married two local Moab women, Orpah and Ruth. [1]
After about ten years, Naomi's sons also died, leaving her with her two daughters-in-law.
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
Naomi heard that God had visited the land of Judah and given the people bread. So she decided to go back to Judah to get some.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
Go back to your mothers' houses. God will treat you kindly.
9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
No, we'll go with you.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
Why go with me?I'm too old to get married and make more husbands for you. [2]
And even if I could, would you wait for them to grow up and then marry them?
I'm sorry for you, but the hand of the Lord is against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
Orpah and Naomi wept.
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave to her. [3]
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
Your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods.You should do the same.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
Don't ask me to leave you, for wherever you go, I'll go.Where you live, I'll live.
Your people will be my people.
Your god will be my god.
Where you die, I'll die, and I'll be buried there.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Don't call me Naomi.Call me Mara, because God has treated me bitterly.
I went out full and God brought me back empty.
So don't call me Naomi, because God has testified against me.
David was the great-grandson of Ruth, a Moabite woman. Yet he was the king of Israel, the highest ranking member of "the congregation of the Lord."
An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever. Deuteronomy 23:3The Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever. Nehemiah 13:1
Has any Moabite ever entered the congregation of the Lord? `
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 says that if a man dies before having a child, the dead man's brother must have sex with his dead brother's wife and marry her. So Naomi was asking her daughter-in-laws if they should wait until she has a couple more sons to fulfill the command in Deuteronomy.
Ruth loved Naomi as Adam loved Eve. (Or so say the folks at WouldJesusDiscriminate.org)
