< Ruth 1 >

1 In diebus unius iudicis, quando iudices praeerant, facta est fames in Terra. Abiitque homo de Bethlehem Iuda, ut peregrinaretur in regione Moabitide cum uxore sua, ac duobus liberis.
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 ipse vocabatur Elimelech, et uxor eius Noemi: et duo filii, alter Mahalon, et alter Chelion, Ephrathaei de Bethlehem Iuda. Ingressique regionem Moabitidem, morabantur ibi.
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 Et mortuus est Elimelech maritus Noemi: remansitque ipsa cum filiis.
And Elimelech the husband of Naomi died; and she remained with her sons.
4 Qui acceperunt uxores Moabitidas, quarum una vocabatur Orpha, altera vero Ruth. Manseruntque ibi decem annis,
They took wives from among the Moabites, of whom one was called Orpah, and the other Ruth. And they lived there ten years.
5 et ambo mortui sunt, Mahalon videlicet et Chelion: remansitque mulier orbata duobus liberis ac marito.
And they both died, namely Mahlon and Chilion, and the woman was left alone, bereaved of her two children and her husband.
6 Et surrexit ut in patriam pergeret cum utraque nuru sua de regione Moabitide: audierat enim quod respexisset Dominus populum suum, et dedisset eis escas.
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 Egressa est itaque de loco peregrinationis suae, cum utraque nuru: et iam in via revertendi posita in Terram Iuda,
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 dixit ad eas: Ite in domum matris vestrae, faciat vobiscum Dominus misericordiam, sicut fecistis cum mortuis et mecum.
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 Det vobis invenire requiem in domibus virorum, quos sortiturae estis. Et osculata est eas. Quae elevata voce flere coeperunt,
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 et dicere: Tecum pergemus ad populum tuum.
and to say, “We will journey with you to your people.”
11 Quibus illa respondit: Revertimini filiae mi, cur venitis mecum? num ultra habebo filios in utero meo, ut viros ex me sperare possitis?
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 Revertimini filiae mi, et abite: iam enim senectute confecta sum, nec apta vinculo coniugali. etiam si possem hac nocte concipere, et parere filios,
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 si eos expectare velitis donec crescant, et annos pubertatis impleant, ante eritis vetulae quam nubatis. Nolite, quaeso, filiae mi: quia vestra angustia magis me premit, et egressa est manus Domini contra me.
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 Elevata igitur voce, rursum flere coeperunt, Orpha osculata est socrum, ac reversa est: Ruth adhaesit socrui suae.
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 cui dixit Noemi: En reversa est cognata tua ad populum suum, et ad deos suos, vade cum ea.
Naomi said to her, “See, your kinswoman returns to her people, and to her gods. Hurry after her.”
16 Quae respondit: Ne adverseris mihi ut relinquam te et abeam: quocumque enim perrexeris, pergam: et ubi morata fueris, et ego pariter morabor. Populus tuus populus meus, et Deus tuus Deus meus.
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 Quae te terra morientem susceperit, in ea moriar: ibique locum accipiam sepulturae. Haec mihi faciat Deus, et haec addat, si non sola mors me et te separaverit.
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 Videns ergo Noemi, quod obstinato animo Ruth decrevisset secum pergere, adversari noluit, nec ad suos ultra reditum persuadere:
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 profectaeque sunt simul, et venerunt in Bethlehem. Quibus urbem ingressis, velox apud cunctos fama percrebruit: dicebantque mulieres: Haec est illa Noemi.
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 Quibus ait: Ne vocetis me Noemi (id est, pulchram) sed vocate me Mara (id est, amaram) quia amaritudine valde replevit me Omnipotens.
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 Egressa sum plena, et vacuam reduxit me Dominus. Cur ergo vocatis me Noemi, quam Dominus humiliavit, et afflixit Omnipotens?
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 Venit ergo Noemi cum Ruth Moabitide nuru sua, de terra peregrinationis suae: ac reversa est in Bethlehem, quando primum hordea metebantur.
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.

< Ruth 1 >