< ルツ記 1 >
1 士師の世ををさむる時にあたりて國に饑饉ありければ一箇の人その妻と二人の男子をひきつれてベテレヘムユダを去りモアブの地にゆきて寄寓る
In the days of one of the judges, when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a man from Bethlehem in Judah departed to sojourn in the region of the Moabites with his wife and two children.
2 その人の名はエリメレクその妻の名はナオミその二人の男子の名はマロンおよびキリオンといふベテレヘムユダのエフラテ人なり 彼等モアブの地にいたりて其處にをりしが
He called himself Elimelech, and his wife Naomi, and his two sons, the one Mahlon, and the other Chilion, Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. And entering into the region of the Moabites, they stayed there.
3 ナオミの夫エリメレク死てナオミとその二人の男子のこさる
And Elimelech the husband of Naomi died; and she remained with her sons.
4 彼等おのおのモアブの婦人を妻にめとる その一人の名はオルパといひ一人の名はルツといふ 彼處にすむこと十年許にして
They took wives from among the Moabites, of whom one was called Orpah, and the other Ruth. And they lived there ten years.
5 マロンとキリオンの二人もまた死り 斯ナオミは二人の男子と夫に後れしが
And they both died, namely Mahlon and Chilion, and the woman was left alone, bereaved of her two children and her husband.
6 モアブの地にて彼ヱホバその民を眷みて食物を之にたまふと聞ければその媳とともに起ちてモアブの地より歸らんとし
And she arose so that she might journey to her native land, with both her daughters-in-law, from the region of the Moabites. For she had heard that the Lord had provided for his people and had given them food.
7 その在ところを出たりその 二人の媳これとともにあり 彼等ユダの地にかへらんと途にすすむ
And so she departed from the place of her sojourn, with both her daughters-in-law, and having set out upon the way, she was about to return to the land of Judah.
8 爰にナオミその二人の媳にいひけるは汝らはゆきておのおの母の家にかへれ 汝らがかの死たる者と我とを善く待ひしごとくにねがはくはヱホバまたなんぢらを善くあつかひたまへ
She said to them, “Go to the home of your mother. May the Lord deal mercifully with you, just as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
9 ねがはくはヱホバなんぢらをして各その夫の家にて安身處をえせしめたまへと 乃ちかれらに接吻しければ彼等聲をあげて哭き
May he grant you to find rest in the houses of the husbands, whom you will obtain by lot.” And she kissed them. They lifted up their voice, and began to weep,
10 之にいひけるは我ら汝とともに汝の民にかへらんと
and to say, “We will journey with you to your people.”
11 ナオミいひけるは女子よ返れ 汝らなんぞ我と共に往くべけんや 汝らの夫となるべき子猶わが胎にあらんや
But she answered them, “Return, my daughters. Why come with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb, so that you could hope for husbands from me?
12 女子よかへりゆけ 我は老たれば夫をもつをえざるなり 假設われ指望ありといふとも今夜夫を有つとも而してまた子を生むとも
Return, my daughters, go forth. For I am now exhausted by old age, and not fit for the bond of marriage. Even if I were to conceive on this night, and bear sons,
13 汝等これがために其子の生長までまちをるべけんや 之がために夫をもたずしてひきこもりをるべけんや 女子よ然すべきにあらず 我はヱホバの手ののぞみてわれを攻しことを汝らのために痛くうれふるなり
if you were willing to wait until they were grown and had completed the years of adolescence, you would be elderly before you could marry. Do not do so, I beg you, my daughters. For your difficulties weigh upon me greatly, and the hand of the Lord has been set against me.”
14 彼等また聲をあげて哭く 而してオルパはその姑に接吻せしがルツは之を離れず
In response, they lifted up their voice and began to weep again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, and then turned back. Ruth clung to her mother-in-law.
15 是によりてナオミまたいひけるは視よ汝の妯娌はその民とその神にかへり往く 汝も妯娌にしたがひてかへるべし
Naomi said to her, “See, your kinswoman returns to her people, and to her gods. Hurry after her.”
16 ルツいひけるは汝を棄て汝をはなれて歸ることを我に催すなかれ我は汝のゆくところに往き汝の宿るところにやどらん 汝の民はわが民汝の神はわが神なり
She answered, “Do not be against me, as if I would abandon you and go away; for wherever you will go, I will go, and where you will stay, I also will stay with you. Your people are my people, and your God is my God.
17 汝の死る所に我は死にて其處に葬らるべし 若死別にあらずして我なんぢとわかれなばヱホバわれにかくなし又かさねてかくなしたまへ
Whichever land will receive you dying, in the same I will die, and there I will have the place of my burial. May God cause these things to happen to me, and add more also, if anything except death alone should separate you and I.”
18 彼 媳が固く心をさだめて己とともに來らんとするを見しかば之に言ふことを止たり
Therefore, Naomi saw that Ruth, being firmly resolved in her soul, was determined to go with her, and that she was unwilling to be dissuaded, and that nothing further could convince her to return to her own.
19 かくて彼等二人ゆきて終にベテレヘムにいたりしがベテレヘムにいたれる時 邑こぞりて之がためにさわぎたち婦女等是はナオミなるやといふ
And so they set out together, and they came to Bethlehem. When they had entered the city, the news quickly spread among them all. And the women said, “This is that Naomi.”
20 ナオミかれらにいひけるは我をナオミ(樂し)と呼なかれ マラ(苦し)とよぶべし 全能者痛く我を苦しめ給ひたればなり
But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi (that is, beautiful), but call me Mara (that is, bitter). For the Almighty has greatly filled me with bitterness.
21 我 盈足て出でたるにヱホバ我をして空くなりて歸しめたまふ ヱホバ我を攻め全能者われをなやましたまふに汝等なんぞ我をナオミと呼や
I went out full and the Lord led me back empty. So then, why call me Naomi, whom the Lord has humbled and the Almighty has afflicted?”
22 斯ナオミそのモアブの地より歸れる 媳モアブの女ルツとともに歸り來れり 即ち彼ら大麥刈の初にベテレヘムにいたる
Therefore, Naomi went with Ruth, the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, from the land of her sojourn, and returned to Bethlehem, at the time of the first reaping of the barley.