Naomi Becomes a Widow (1 Timothy 5:3–16)
1 UST During the time that judges ruled{ Israel}, there was a famine in that country. A man from the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judah{ in the country of Israel} left there and went to live for a while in the country of Moab. His wife and his two sons went with him. 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 UST The man’ s name was Elimelech and his wife’ s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. All of them were part of the clan of Ephrathah, from Bethlehem in Judah. They came to the land of Moab and stayed 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 UST Then Naomi’ s husband, Elimelech, died, and Naomi had only her two sons with her. BSB BSB: Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons,
4 UST { Eventually,} the sons married women from Moab. The name of one woman was Orpah, and the name of the other woman was Ruth. But after Naomi and her sons had lived in Moab 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 UST Mahlon and Kilion also died. So then Naomi was alone without her husband or her two sons. 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 UST { One day} while Naomi was in Moab, she heard someone say that Yahweh had helped his people{ in Israel} and that now they had plenty of food. So she got ready to return{ to Bethlehem} with her daughters- in- law. 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 UST She and her two daughters- in- law left the place where she had been living and they started to walk along the road back to 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 UST Then Naomi said to her two daughters- in- law,“Each of you should turn around and go back to live with your mother. I am asking Yahweh to be as faithful to you as you have been to your dead husbands and to 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 UST I am asking Yahweh to allow each of you to have another husband with whom you will have a secure home.” Then she kissed each of them, and they cried aloud. 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 UST They each said,“No! We will return with you to your relatives.” BSB BSB: and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”
11 UST But Naomi said,“No, my daughters. Return home. It will not do any good for you to come with me! It is not possible for me to have more sons who could become your husbands. 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 UST You should go back, my daughters. It is too late for me to have another husband. Even if I thought that I could have another husband, and was married even tonight and had more 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 UST you would not wait until they grew up! You could not remain unmarried until then! No, my daughters, Yahweh has done very bad things to me, causing me to grieve very much. But your lives do not need to be as bad as mine.” 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 UST Then Ruth and Orpah cried loudly again. Orpah kissed her mother- in- law{ goodbye and left}, but Ruth stayed with Naomi. BSB BSB: Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 UST Naomi said to her,“Look! Your sister- in- law is going back to her relatives and to the god that she worshiped{ previously}! Go back with her!” BSB BSB: “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”
16 UST But Ruth replied,“No! Please do not insist that I abandon you and stop taking care of you! Wherever you travel, I will travel too. Wherever you live, I will live too. Your relatives will be my relatives, and I will worship the God whom you worship. 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 UST Wherever you die, there I will die, and they will bury me there. May Yahweh punish me severely if I leave you even after we die.” 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 UST When Naomi realized that Ruth had firmly resolved to go with her, Naomi stopped urging Ruth to return home. BSB BSB: When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.
The Return to Bethlehem 19 UST So the two women continued walking until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, many people in the town began talking loudly about them. Many women of the town exclaimed,“It is hard to believe that this is 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 UST Naomi said to them,“You should not call me Naomi anymore, since it means‘pleasant.’ Instead, call me Mara, because it means‘bitter.’ God Almighty has made my life very bitter. BSB BSB: “Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
21 UST When I left, I had everything I could want, but Yahweh has brought me back with nothing. Do not call me Naomi. Yahweh has opposed me. Almighty God has treated me badly.” 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 UST So that is how Naomi returned home along with her daughter- in- law Ruth, the woman from Moab. When they arrived in Bethlehem, it was the season for people there to begin harvesting their crops 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.