< Ruth 1 >

1 During the time before kings ruled Israel, (there was a famine/the people there had nothing to eat). There was a man who lived there whose name was Elimelech. His wife’s name was Naomi, and his sons’ names were Mahlon and Chilion. They were all from Bethlehem [town], from the Ephrath [clan] in Judah [region].
I Dommernes Dage blev der engang Hungersnød i Landet. Da drog en Mand fra Betlehem i Juda til Moabiternes Land for at bo der som fremmed med sin Hustru og sine to Sønner.
2 Because of the famine, they left Bethlehem and went east to [live for a while in] Moab [region].
Manden bed Elimelek, hans Hustru No'omi og hans to Sønner Malon og Kiljon, Efratiter fra Betlehem i Juda, og de kom til Moabiternes Land og opholdt sig der.
3 While they were there, Elimelech died, and Naomi had only her two sons with her.
Saa døde Elimelek, No'omis Mand, og hun sad tilbage med sine to Sønner.
4 They married women from Moab. One of them was named Orpah, and the other one was named Ruth. But after they had lived in that area for about ten years,
De tog sig moabitiske Hustruer; den ene hed Orpa, den anden Rut. Men da de havde boet der en halv Snes Aar,
5 Mahlon and Chilion died. So then Naomi had no husband and no sons.
døde ogsaa de to, Malon og Kiljon, saa at Kvinden sad alene tilbage efter sine to Sønner og sin Mand.
6 One day while Naomi was in Moab, she heard someone say that Yahweh had helped his people in Israel and that now there was plenty of food to eat. So she prepared to return [to Bethlehem].
Da brød hun op med sine Sønnekoner for at vende hjem fra Moabiternes Land; thi hun havde hørt i Moabiternes Land, at HERREN havde set til sit Folk og givet dem Brød.
7 She left the place where she had been living and started to walk [with her daughters-in-law] along the road back to Judah.
Saa drog hun sammen med sine to Sønnekoner bort fra det Sted, hvor hun havde opholdt sig, men paa Hjemvejen til Judas Land
8 Then as the three of them were walking, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Each of you should turn around and go back to your mother’s home. You treated [your husbands] kindly [before] they died, and you have treated me kindly.
sagde No'omi til sine to Sønnekoner: »Vend nu tilbage hver til sin Moders Hus! HERREN være barmhjertig imod eder, som I har været imod de døde og mig;
9 Now I desire that Yahweh will enable each of you to have another husband in whose home you will [feel] secure.” Then she kissed both of them, and they cried aloud.
HERREN give eder, at I maa finde Ro, hver i sin Mands Hus!« Og hun kyssede dem. Men de gav sig til at græde højt
10 They each said, “No, we want to go with you as you return to your relatives.”
og sagde til hende: »Nej! vi vil følge dig hjem til dit Folk!«
11 But Naomi said, “No, my daughters, return home. (It will not do any good for you to come with me!/What good will it do for you to come with me?) [RHQ] Do you think I will get married again and have more sons who could become your husbands?
Men No'omi sagde: »Vend tilbage, mine Døtre! Hvorfor vil I drage med mig? Bærer jeg endnu Sønner i mit Skød, som kan blive eders Mænd?
12 Even if I thought I could have another husband, and even if I got married today and became pregnant [EUP] tonight and later gave birth to sons,
Vend tilbage, mine Døtre, gaa nu hjem, thi jeg er for gammel til at blive en Mands Hustru. Og selv om jeg tænkte, at jeg endnu havde Haab, selv om jeg endnu i Nat tilhørte en Mand og virkelig fødte Sønner,
13 would you remain single/unmarried until they grew up [and became old enough] for you to marry? No, my daughters, [you would not do that]. Your situations are bad [because your husbands have died, but it is possible that you will each marry again]. My situation is much worse, because Yahweh [SYN] has opposed me, [and now I am too old to get married again].”
skulde I saa derfor vente, til de blev voksne? Skulde I derfor stænge eder inde og leve ugifte? Nej, mine Døtre, det gør mig saare ondt for eder, thi mig har HERRENS Haand ramt!«
14 Then Ruth and Orpah cried again [because of what Naomi said]. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, [and left], but Ruth clung to Naomi.
De gav sig da igen til at græde højt, og Orpa kyssede sin Svigermoder, men Rut klyngede sig til hende.
15 Naomi said to her, “Look! Your sister-in-law is going back to her relatives and to her gods! Go back with her!”
Da sagde hun: »Se, din Svigerinde er vendt tilbage til sit Folk og sin Gud; vend du ogsaa tilbage og følg din Svigerinde!«
16 But Ruth replied, “No! Don’t urge me to leave you! I [want to] go with you. Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your relatives will be my relatives, and the God you [worship] will be the God I [worship].
Men Rut svarede: »Nød mig ikke til at forlade dig og vende tilbage! Nej, hvor du gaar hen, der vil jeg gaa hen, og hvor du tager Bolig, der vil jeg tage Bolig; dit Folk skal være mit Folk, og din Gud skal være min Gud;
17 Where you die, I will die. Where you are buried, I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me severely if I separate from you. I will be separated from you only [when one of us] dies.”
hvor du dør, der vil jeg dø, og der vil jeg jordes. HERREN ramme mig baade med det ene og det andet: Kun Døden skal skille os ad!«
18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was very determined to go with her, she stopped urging her [to return home].
Da No'omi saa, at det var hendes faste Vilje at drage med hende, holdt hun op at tale til hende derom,
19 So the two women continued walking until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived there, everyone in town was excited [to see] them. The women [of the town] exclaimed, “(Can this be Naomi?/It is difficult to believe that this is Naomi!)” [RHQ]
og de drog da videre sammen, indtil de kom til Betlehem. Men da de kom til Betlehem, blev der Røre i hele Byen, og Kvinderne sagde: »Er det No'omi?«
20 Naomi said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi, [which means ‘pleasant’]. Instead, call me Mara, [which means ‘bitter’], because God Almighty has made my life very unpleasant.
Men hun sagde til dem: »Kald mig ikke No'omi; kald mig Mara, thi den Almægtige har voldet mig megen bitter Smerte!
21 When I left here, I [felt] rich, [because I had a family]. But Yahweh has brought me back here and now I [feel] poor, [because I have no family]. Do not call me Naomi [RHQ]. [I feel as though] Yahweh has spoken against (OR, afflicted) me. Almighty [God] has caused me to experience a great tragedy.”
Rig drog jeg herfra, og fattig har HERREN ført mig tilbage. Hvorfor kalder I mig No'omi, naar HERREN har vidnet imod mig og den Almægtige tilskikket mig Ulykke?«
22 That [summarizes the account] of Naomi returning home along with her daughter-in-law Ruth, the woman from Moab. And [it happened that] when they arrived in Bethlehem, the barley [grain] harvest was just beginning.
Saaledes vendte No'omi tilbage fra Moabiternes Land tillige med sin Sønnekone, Moabiterinden Rut, og de kom til Betlehem først paa Byghøsten.

< Ruth 1 >