רות 1
| ויהי בימי שפט השפטים ויהי רעב בארץ וילך איש מבית לחם יהודה לגור בשדי מואב הוא ואשתו ושני בניו׃ | 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].
| ושם האיש אלימלך ושם אשתו נעמי ושם שני בניו מחלון וכליון אפרתים מבית לחם יהודה ויבאו שדי מואב ויהיו שם׃ | 2 |
Because of the famine, they left Bethlehem and went east to [live for a while in] Moab [region].
| וימת אלימלך איש נעמי ותשאר היא ושני בניה׃ | 3 |
While they were there, Elimelech died, and Naomi had only her two sons with her.
| וישאו להם נשים מאביות שם האחת ערפה ושם השנית רות וישבו שם כעשר שנים׃ | 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,
| וימותו גם שניהם מחלון וכליון ותשאר האשה משני ילדיה ומאישה׃ | 5 |
Mahlon and Chilion died. So then Naomi had no husband and no sons.
| ותקם היא וכלתיה ותשב משדי מואב כי שמעה בשדה מואב כי פקד יהוה את עמו לתת להם לחם׃ | 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].
| ותצא מן המקום אשר היתה שמה ושתי כלתיה עמה ותלכנה בדרך לשוב אל ארץ יהודה׃ | 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.
| ותאמר נעמי לשתי כלתיה לכנה שבנה אשה לבית אמה יעשה יהוה עמכם חסד כאשר עשיתם עם המתים ועמדי׃ | 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.
| יתן יהוה לכם ומצאן מנוחה אשה בית אישה ותשק להן ותשאנה קולן ותבכינה׃ | 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.
| ותאמרנה לה כי אתך נשוב לעמך׃ | 10 |
They each said, “No, we want to go with you as you return to your relatives.”
| ותאמר נעמי שבנה בנתי למה תלכנה עמי העוד לי בנים במעי והיו לכם לאנשים׃ | 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?
| שבנה בנתי לכן כי זקנתי מהיות לאיש כי אמרתי יש לי תקוה גם הייתי הלילה לאיש וגם ילדתי בנים׃ | 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,
| הלהן תשברנה עד אשר יגדלו הלהן תעגנה לבלתי היות לאיש אל בנתי כי מר לי מאד מכם כי יצאה בי יד יהוה׃ | 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].”
| ותשנה קולן ותבכינה עוד ותשק ערפה לחמותה ורות דבקה בה׃ | 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.
| ותאמר הנה שבה יבמתך אל עמה ואל אלהיה שובי אחרי יבמתך׃ | 15 |
Naomi said to her, “Look! Your sister-in-law is going back to her relatives and to her gods! Go back with her!”
| ותאמר רות אל תפגעי בי לעזבך לשוב מאחריך כי אל אשר תלכי אלך ובאשר תליני אלין עמך עמי ואלהיך אלהי׃ | 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].
| באשר תמותי אמות ושם אקבר כה יעשה יהוה לי וכה יסיף כי המות יפריד ביני ובינך׃ | 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.”
| ותרא כי מתאמצת היא ללכת אתה ותחדל לדבר אליה׃ | 18 |
When Naomi realized that Ruth was very determined to go with her, she stopped urging her [to return home].
| ותלכנה שתיהם עד באנה בית לחם ויהי כבאנה בית לחם ותהם כל העיר עליהן ותאמרנה הזאת נעמי׃ | 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]
| ותאמר אליהן אל תקראנה לי נעמי קראן לי מרא כי המר שדי לי מאד׃ | 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.
| אני מלאה הלכתי וריקם השיבני יהוה למה תקראנה לי נעמי ויהוה ענה בי ושדי הרע לי׃ | 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.”
| ותשב נעמי ורות המואביה כלתה עמה השבה משדי מואב והמה באו בית לחם בתחלת קציר שערים׃ | 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.
