| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. | 1In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the land of Moab. |
| 2The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. | 2The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there. |
| 3Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. | 3Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons, |
| 4Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. | 4who took Moabite women as their wives, one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. And after they had lived in Moab about ten years, |
| 5Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband. | 5both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband. |
| 6Then 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 that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. | 6When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had attended to His people by providing them with food, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab. |
| 7Therefore she went out 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. | 7Accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road leading back to the land of Judah. |
| 8And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. | 8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me. |
| 9The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. | 9May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud |
| 10And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.” | 10and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.” |
| 11But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? | 11But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands? |
| 12Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, | 12Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, |
| 13would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!” | 13would you wait for them to grow up? Would you refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” |
| 14Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. | 14Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. |
| 15And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” | 15“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.” |
| 16But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. | 16But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. |
| 17Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” | 17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” |
| 18When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her. | 18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her. |
| 19Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” | 19So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole city was stirred because of them, and the women of the city exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” |
| 20But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. | 20“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me. |
| 21I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” | 21I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.” |
| 22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. | 22So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. |
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