Naomi Becomes a Widow
(1 Timothy 5:3–16)

1And it will be in the days of the judging of the judges, and there will be a famine in the land. And a man from the house of bread of Judah will go to sojourn in the field of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2And the name of the man Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi, and the name of his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from the house of bread of Judah. And they will come to the field of Moab and be there. 3And Elimelech will die, the husband of Naomi; and she will be left, and her two sons. 4And they will take to them wives from the Moabitesses; the name of the one, Orpah, and the name of the second, Ruth: and they will dwell there about ten years. 5And Mahlon and chilion, also they two, will die; and the woman will be left of her two children and of her husband.

Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi

6And she will arise and her daughters-in-law, and she will turn back from the field of Moab: for she heard in the field of Moab that Jehovah reviewed his people to give bread to them. 7And she will go forth from the place where she was there, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they will go in the way to turn back to the land of Judah. 8And Naomi will say to her two daughters-in-law, Go, turn back each to the house of her mother: Jehovah will do mercy with you according as ye did with the dead, and with me. 9Jehovah will give to you, and find ye rest, each in the house of her husband And she will kiss to them, and they will lift up their voice and weep. 10And they will say to her, But with thee we will turn back to thy people. 11And Naomi will say, Turn back, my daughters: wherefore will ye go with me? are yet to me sons in my bowels, and they were to you for husbands? 12Turn back, my daughters, therefore; for I grew old from being for a husband. If I said, There is hope to me, also I was this night to a husband, and also I bare sons; 13Will ye wait for them till they shall grow? Will remain shut up for them not to be for a husband? Nay, my daughters, for it is bitter to me greatly for you, that the hand of Jehovah will go forth against me.

14And they will lift up their voice and weep yet. And Orpah will kiss to her mother-in-law; and Ruth adhered to her.

15And she will say, Behold, thy sister-in-law turned back to her people, and to her gods: turn thou back after thy sister-in-law. 16And Ruth will say, Thou shalt not urge upon me to forsake thee, to turn back from after thee: for where thou shalt go, I will go; and where thou shalt lodge, I will lodge: thy people my people, and thy God my God: 17Where thou shalt die, I will die, and there will I be buried: thus will Jehovah do to me, and thus will he add, for death shall separate between me and between thee. 18And she will see that she strengthening herself to go with her, and she will cease to speak to her.

The Return to Bethlehem

19And they two will go till they came to the house of bread. And it will be as they came to the house of bread, and all the city will be moved at them, and they will say, Is this Naomi? 20And she will say to them, Ye shall not call to me Naomi; call to me, Mara: for the Almighty made bitter to me greatly. 21I went away full, and Jehovah turned me back empty; wherefore will ye call to me Naomi, and Jehovah humbled me, and the Almighty did evil to me?

22And Naomi will turn back, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law, with her, turned back from the field of Moab: and they came to the house of bread in the beginning of the harvest of barley.