< Ruth 1 >

1 Now there came a time, in the days of the judges, when there was no food in the land. And a certain man went from Beth-lehem-judah, he and his wife and his two sons, to make a living-place in the country 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 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and were there for some time.
Njalo ibizo lalowomuntu lalinguElimeleki, lebizo lomkakhe lalinguNawomi, lebizo lamadodana akhe amabili lalinguMaheloni loKiliyoni, amaEfratha eBhethelehema-Juda. Basebesiza elizweni lakoMowabi, baba khona.
3 And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, came to his end; and only her two sons were with her.
UElimeleki umkaNawomi wasesifa, wasetshiywa yena lamadodana akhe womabili.
4 And they took two women of Moab as their wives: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they went on living there for about ten years.
Asezithathela abafazi amaMowabikazi, ibizo lomunye lalinguOpha, lebizo lomunye lalinguRuthe. Basebehlala khona phose iminyaka elitshumi.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion came to their end; and the woman was without her two sons and her husband.
Basebesifa labo bobabili oMaheloni loKiliyoni; owesifazana wasetshiywa ngabantwana bakhe bobabili layindoda yakhe.
6 So she and her daughters-in-law got ready to go back from the country of Moab, for news had come to her in the country of Moab that the Lord, in mercy for his people, had given them food.
Wasesukuma yena labomalokazana bakhe wabuyela esuka eselizweni lakoMowabi, ngoba wayesezwile elizweni lakoMowabi ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantu bayo ngokubanika ukudla.
7 And she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah.
Ngakho waphuma endaweni lapho ayekhona labomalokazana bakhe bobabili kanye laye, bahamba endleleni ukubuyela elizweni lakoJuda.
8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back to your mothers' houses: may the Lord be good to you as you have been good to the 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 give you rest in the houses of your husbands. Then she gave them a kiss; and they were weeping bitterly.
INkosi kayilinike ukuthi lithole ukuphumula, ngulowo lalowo endlini yomkakhe. Wasebanga, basebephakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi.
10 And they said to her, No, but we will go back with you to your people.
Basebesithi kuye: Isibili, sizabuyela lawe ebantwini bakini.
11 But Naomi said, Go back, my daughters; why will you come with me? Have I more sons in my body, to become your husbands?
Kodwa uNawomi wathi: Buyelani, madodakazi ami, lizahambelani lami? Kambe ngiselamadodana esiswini sami ukuthi abe ngomkenu?
12 Go back, my daughters, and go on your way; I am so old now that I may not have another husband. If I said, I have hopes, if I had a husband tonight, and might have 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 keep yourselves till they were old enough? would you keep from having husbands for them? No, my daughters; but I am very sad for you that the hand of the Lord is 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 Then again they were weeping; and Orpah gave her mother-in-law a kiss, but Ruth would not be parted from her.
Basebephakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi futhi. UOpha wasemanga uninazala, kodwa uRuthe wanamathela kuye.
15 And Naomi said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods: go back after your sister-in-law.
Wasesithi: Khangela, umkamfowenu usebuyele ebantwini bakibo lakubonkulunkulu bakhe; buyela umlandele umkamfowenu.
16 But Ruth said, Give up requesting me to go away from you, or to go back without you: for where you go I will go; and where you take your rest I will take my rest; your people will be my people, and your God 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 Wherever death comes to you, death will come to me, and there will be my last resting-place; the Lord do so to me and more if we are parted by anything but death.
lapho ozafela khona, ngizafela khona, ngingcwatshelwe lapho. INkosi kayenze njalo kimi ngokunjalo yengezelele, ngoba yikufa kuphela okuzakwehlukanisa phakathi kwami lawe.
18 And when she saw that Ruth was strong in her purpose to go with her she said no more.
Kwathi esebonile ukuthi uzimisele ukuhamba laye waseyekela ukukhuluma kuye.
19 So the two of them went on till they came to Beth-lehem. And when they came to Beth-lehem all the town was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
Basebehamba bobabili baze bafika eBhethelehema. Kwasekusithi sebefikile eBhethelehema umuzi wonke wayaluzela ngenxa yabo, bathi: Lo nguNawomi yini?
20 And she said to them, Do not let my name be Naomi, but Mara, for the Ruler of all has given me a bitter fate.
Wasesithi kibo: Lingangibizi ngokuthi Nawomi, lingibize ngokuthi Mara; ngoba uSomandla ungiphethe ngokubaba okukhulu.
21 I went out full, and the Lord has sent me back again with nothing; why do you give me the name Naomi, seeing that the Lord has given witness against me, and the Ruler of all has sent sorrow on me?
Mina ngasuka ngigcwele, njalo iNkosi ingibuyise ngingelalutho. Lingibizelani ngokuthi Nawomi lokhu iNkosi ifakaze imelane lami, loSomandla ungihluphile?
22 So Naomi came back out of the country of Moab, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her; and they came to Beth-lehem in the first days of the grain-cutting.
Wabuyela ngokunjalo uNawomi loRuthe umMowabikazi umalokazana wakhe kanye laye, owabuyela evela elizweni lakoMowabi. Bona-ke bafika eBhethelehema ekuqaliseni kwesivuno sebhali.

< Ruth 1 >