Ruth 1
1 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.
Kwasekusithi ensukwini abahluleli abahlulela ngazo kwaba khona indlala elizweni. Umuntu weBhethelehema-Juda wasehamba ukuyahlala njengowezizwe elizweni lakoMowabi, yena lomkakhe lamadodana akhe amabili.
2 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.
Njalo ibizo lalowomuntu lalinguElimeleki, lebizo lomkakhe lalinguNawomi, lebizo lamadodana akhe amabili lalinguMaheloni loKiliyoni, amaEfratha eBhethelehema-Juda. Basebesiza elizweni lakoMowabi, baba khona.
3 Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons,
UElimeleki umkaNawomi wasesifa, wasetshiywa yena lamadodana akhe womabili.
4 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,
Asezithathela abafazi amaMowabikazi, ibizo lomunye lalinguOpha, lebizo lomunye lalinguRuthe. Basebehlala khona phose iminyaka elitshumi.
5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband.
Basebesifa labo bobabili oMaheloni loKiliyoni; owesifazana wasetshiywa ngabantwana bakhe bobabili layindoda yakhe.
6 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.
Wasesukuma yena labomalokazana bakhe wabuyela esuka eselizweni lakoMowabi, ngoba wayesezwile elizweni lakoMowabi ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantu bayo ngokubanika ukudla.
7 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.
Ngakho waphuma endaweni lapho ayekhona labomalokazana bakhe bobabili kanye laye, bahamba endleleni ukubuyela elizweni lakoJuda.
8 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.
UNawomi wasesithi kubomalokazana bakhe bobabili: Hambani libuyele ngulowo lalowo endlini kanina; iNkosi kayilenzele umusa njengoba lenza kwabafileyo lakimi.
9 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
INkosi kayilinike ukuthi lithole ukuphumula, ngulowo lalowo endlini yomkakhe. Wasebanga, basebephakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi.
10 and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”
Basebesithi kuye: Isibili, sizabuyela lawe ebantwini bakini.
11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?
Kodwa uNawomi wathi: Buyelani, madodakazi ami, lizahambelani lami? Kambe ngiselamadodana esiswini sami ukuthi abe ngomkenu?
12 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,
Buyelani, madodakazi ami, zihambeleni, ngoba sengimdala kakhulu ukuthi ngibe lendoda. Loba ngingathi ngilethemba lokuthi lami ngalobubusuku ngibe lendoda, njalo ngizale amadodana,
13 would 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.”
belingawalindela yini aze akhule? Belingazivimbela lingabi lendoda yini? Hatshi, madodakazi ami, ngoba kuyababa kakhulu kimi kulakini ukuthi isandla seNkosi siphume ukumelana lami.
14 Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
Basebephakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi futhi. UOpha wasemanga uninazala, kodwa uRuthe wanamathela kuye.
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”
Wasesithi: Khangela, umkamfowenu usebuyele ebantwini bakibo lakubonkulunkulu bakhe; buyela umlandele umkamfowenu.
16 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.
Kodwa uRuthe wathi: Ungangincengi ukuthi ngikutshiye, ngibuyele ngiyekele ukukulandela; ngoba lapho oya khona, ngizakuya khona, lalapho olala khona, ngizalala khona. Abantu bakho bangabantu bami, loNkulunkulu wakho unguNkulunkulu wami;
17 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.”
lapho ozafela khona, ngizafela khona, ngingcwatshelwe lapho. INkosi kayenze njalo kimi ngokunjalo yengezelele, ngoba yikufa kuphela okuzakwehlukanisa phakathi kwami lawe.
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.
Kwathi esebonile ukuthi uzimisele ukuhamba laye waseyekela ukukhuluma kuye.
19 So 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?”
Basebehamba bobabili baze bafika eBhethelehema. Kwasekusithi sebefikile eBhethelehema umuzi wonke wayaluzela ngenxa yabo, bathi: Lo nguNawomi yini?
20 “Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
Wasesithi kibo: Lingangibizi ngokuthi Nawomi, lingibize ngokuthi Mara; ngoba uSomandla ungiphethe ngokubaba okukhulu.
21 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.”
Mina ngasuka ngigcwele, njalo iNkosi ingibuyise ngingelalutho. Lingibizelani ngokuthi Nawomi lokhu iNkosi ifakaze imelane lami, loSomandla ungihluphile?
22 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.
Wabuyela ngokunjalo uNawomi loRuthe umMowabikazi umalokazana wakhe kanye laye, owabuyela evela elizweni lakoMowabi. Bona-ke bafika eBhethelehema ekuqaliseni kwesivuno sebhali.
