Naomi Becomes a Widow (1 Timothy 5:3–16)
1 ULT Now it happened in the days of the ruling of the judges that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem of Judah went to live in the fields of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. BSB BSB: In 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.
2 ULT And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion, Ephrathites from Bethlehem of Judah. So they traveled to the fields of Moab and lived there. BSB BSB: The 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.
3 ULT Then Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died. And she was left, she and her two sons. BSB BSB: Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons,
4 ULT And they took wives for themselves from the women of Moab; the name of the first woman was Orpah, and the name of the second woman was Ruth. And they lived there for about ten years. BSB BSB: who took Moabite women as their wives, one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. And after they had lived in Moab about ten years,
5 ULT And the two of them, Mahlon and Kilion, also died, and the woman was left without her two children or her husband. BSB BSB: both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband.
Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi 6 ULT Then she arose, she and her daughters- in- law, and she returned from the fields of Moab, for she had heard in a field of Moab that Yahweh had visited his people, giving them bread. BSB BSB: When 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.
7 ULT So she went out from the place where she had been{ living} there, and her two daughters- in- law{ were} with her. And they traveled on the road to return to the land of Judah. BSB BSB: Accompanied 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.
8 ULT Then Naomi said to her two daughters- in- law,“Go, return, each woman to the house of her mother. May Yahweh act with you in covenant faithfulness as you have acted with the dead and with me. BSB BSB: Then 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.
9 ULT May Yahweh grant to you that you shall find rest, each woman in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and cried. BSB BSB: May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud
10 ULT But they said to her,“Rather, we will return with you to your people.” BSB BSB: and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”
11 ULT But Naomi said,“Turn back, my daughters! Why would you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may become husbands for you? BSB BSB: But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?
12 ULT Turn back, my daughters, go! For I am too old to belong to a husband. If I said I have hope, and if I belonged to a husband even tonight, and even if I would give birth to sons, BSB BSB: Return 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,
13 ULT would you therefore wait until the time when they are grown? Would you for this reason keep yourselves from belonging to a husband? No, my daughters! For it is exceedingly bitter for me, more than for you, that the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.” BSB BSB: would you wait for them to grow up? Would you refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, it is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”
14 ULT Then they lifted up their voices and cried again. Then Orpah kissed her mother- in- law, but Ruth clung to her. BSB BSB: Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 ULT Then she said,“Behold, your sister- in- law has turned back to her people and to her god. Go back after your sister- in- law.” BSB BSB: “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”
16 ULT But Ruth said,“Do not press me to forsake you, to turn back from behind you. For to where you go, I will go, and in where you stay, I will stay. Your people{ are} my people, and your God{ is} my God. BSB BSB: But 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.
17 ULT In the place where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do thus to me, and thus may he add, if death separates between me and between you.” BSB BSB: Where 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.”
18 ULT Then she saw that she was determined to go with her, and she refrained from speaking to her. BSB BSB: When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.
The Return to Bethlehem 19 ULT So the two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, as they were entering Bethlehem, the entire town was agitated on account of them. And the women said,“Is this Naomi?” BSB BSB: So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women of the town exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 ULT But she said to them,“Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has acted exceedingly bitterly to me. BSB BSB: “Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
21 ULT As for me, I went out full, but Yahweh has brought me back empty. Why would you call me Naomi? But as for Yahweh, he has testified against me, and the Almighty has done evil to me.” BSB BSB: I 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.”
22 ULT So Naomi returned, with Ruth the Moabite woman her daughter- in- law, with her, the woman who returned from the fields of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest of barley. BSB BSB: So 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.