< Ruthu 3 >

1 Mũthenya ũmwe-rĩ, Naomi, nyaciarawe wa Ruthu, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Mwarĩ wakwa, githĩ ndiagĩrĩirwo ngũcarĩrie mũciĩ waku, kũrĩa wee ũngĩona maũndũ mega?
One day, Naomi said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, should I not seek to secure a home for you where you will be happy and prosperous?
2 Githĩ Boazu ũcio wee ũkoretwo na ndungata ciake cia airĩtu ti mũndũ wa rũrĩra rwitũ? Ũtukũ ũyũ nĩguo ekũhuha cairi kĩhuhĩro-inĩ.
Is not Boaz, with whose girls you have been, a relative of ours?
3 Wĩthambe na wĩhake maguta mekũnunga wega, ningĩ wĩhumbe nguo ciaku iria njega mũno. Ũcooke ũikũrũke ũkinye kĩhuhĩro-inĩ, no ndũkeyonithie mũndũ ũcio nginya arĩkie kũrĩa na kũnyua.
Tonight he is going to winnow barley on the threshing-floor. So bathe and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 Rĩrĩa arĩkoma, wone harĩa akoma. Ningĩ ũthiĩ ho na ũhumbũrie magũrũ make, ũkome ho. Nake nĩegũkwĩra ũrĩa wagĩrĩirwo nĩ gwĩka.”
Then when he lies down, mark the place where he lies. Go in, uncover his feet, lie down, and then he will tell you what to do.’
5 Ruthu akĩmũcookeria, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Maũndũ macio mothe wanjĩĩra no mo ngwĩka.”
‘I will do as you say.’ Ruth said to her.
6 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio agĩikũrũka agĩkinya kĩhuhĩro-inĩ kĩu, na agĩĩka ũrĩa wothe nyaciarawe aamwĩrĩte eeke.
So she went down to the threshing-floor and did just as her mother-in-law told her.
7 Na rĩrĩa Boazu aarĩkirie kũrĩa na kũnyua, na agĩkorwo arĩ mũkenu, agĩthiĩ agĩkoma mũthia-inĩ biũ wa hĩba ya cairi. Nake Ruthu agĩthiĩ acemete, akĩmũhumbũria magũrũ, agĩkoma ho.
When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in a happy mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth came quietly and uncovered his feet and lay down.
8 Ũtukũ gatagatĩ, kĩndũ gĩkĩhahũra Boazu, nake egarũra, agĩkora nĩ mũndũ-wa-nja wakomete magũrũ-inĩ make.
At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and there was a woman lying at his feet!
9 Akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩwe ũ?” Nake akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ niĩ ndungata yaku Ruthu. Tambũrũkia gĩcurĩ kĩa nguo yaku ũũhumbĩre, nĩ ũndũ wee nĩwe ũngĩtũmenyerera.”
‘Who are you?’ he said. ‘I am Ruth your servant,’ she answered, ‘Spread your cloak over your servant, for you are a near relative.’
10 Nake akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Jehova arokũrathima mwarĩ wakwa. Ũtugi ũrĩa wonania nĩũkĩrĩte ũrĩa wonanirie kĩambĩrĩria-inĩ, nĩ ũndũ ndũnenda kũrũmanĩrĩra na aanake, marĩ athĩĩni kana marĩ itonga.
He said, ‘May you be blest by the Lord, my daughter. You have shown me greater favour now than at first, for you have not followed young men, whether poor or rich.
11 Na rĩrĩ, mwarĩ wakwa, ndũgetigĩre. Nĩngũgwĩkĩra ũrĩa wothe ũkũũhooya. Andũ othe a itũũra rĩĩrĩ riitũ nĩmooĩ atĩ wee ũrĩ mũndũ-wa-nja ngatha.
My daughter, have no fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for the whole town knows that you are a virtuous woman.
12 O na gũtuĩka ndĩ ũmwe wa arĩa mangĩkũmenyerera-rĩ, nĩ harĩ mũndũ ũngĩ ũngĩkũmenyerera wa hakuhĩ kũngĩra.
Now it is true that I am a near relative, but there is another man nearer than I.
13 Rĩu kĩraare haha ũtukũ ũyũ, na rũciinĩ gwakĩa angĩkorwo nĩekwenda gũkũmenyerera, nĩ wega; nĩagakũmenyerera. No angĩkorwo ndekwenda, o ta ũrĩa Jehova atũũraga muoyo, nĩngakũmenyerera. Kĩraare haha nginya rũciũ rũciinĩ.”
Stay here tonight, and then in the morning, if he will perform for you the duty of a kinsman, well, let him do it. But if he will not perform for you the duty of a kinsman, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will do it for you. Lie down until morning.’
14 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Ruthu agĩkoma hau magũrũ-inĩ make nginya rũciinĩ, no akĩroka gũũkĩra rũciinĩ tene kũrĩ mairia, nake Boazu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ndũkareke kũmenyeke atĩ nĩ kũrĩ mũndũ-wa-nja ũrokĩte kĩhuhĩro-inĩ.”
So she lay at his feet until morning, but rose before anyone could recognise her, for Boaz said, ‘No one must know that a woman came to the threshing-floor.’
15 Ningĩ akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Rehe nguo ĩyo wĩigĩrĩire wanĩrĩrie.” Rĩrĩa eekire ũguo, Boazu agĩitĩrĩra ibaba ithathatũ cia cairi, akĩmũigĩrĩra. Nake Ruthu agĩcooka itũũra-inĩ.
He also said, ‘Bring the cloak which you have on and hold it.’ So she held it while he poured into it six measures of barley and laid it on her shoulders. Then he went into the city.
16 Na rĩrĩa Ruthu aacookire kũrĩ nyaciarawe-rĩ, Naomi akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Mwarĩ wakwa, kũraathiire atĩa?” Nake akĩmwĩra maũndũ marĩa mothe Boazu aamwĩkĩire.
When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, ‘Is it you, my daughter?’ Then Ruth told Naomi all that the man had done for her.
17 Ningĩ agĩcooka akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ibaba ici ithathatũ cia cairi nĩwe ũũheire, na anjĩĩra atĩrĩ, ‘Tiga kũinũkĩra nyaciaraguo moko matheri.’”
‘He gave me these six measures of barley,’ she said, ‘for he said I should not go to my mother-in-law empty-handed.’
18 Nake Naomi akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Eterera o ro ũguo, mwarĩ wakwa, nginya ũmenye ũrĩa ũhoro ũcio ũgũthiĩ, nĩgũkorwo mũndũ ũcio ndangĩhurũka nginya rĩrĩa aniine ũhoro ũcio ũmũthĩ.”
‘Wait quietly, my daughter.’ Naomi said, ‘Until you know how the affair will turn out, for the man will not rest unless he settles it all today.’

< Ruthu 3 >