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.
There was a famine during the time when the judges ruled Israel, so a man left Bethlehem in Judah and went to live in exile in the country of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.
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.
His name was Elimelech, and his wife's name Naomi. His sons were called Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there.
3 Et mortuus est Elimelech maritus Noemi: remansitque ipsa cum filiis.
However, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4 Qui acceperunt uxores Moabitidas, quarum una vocabatur Orpha, altera vero Ruth. Manseruntque ibi decem annis,
The sons married Moabite women. One was called Orpah, the other was called Ruth. After about ten years,
5 et ambo mortui sunt, Mahalon videlicet et Chelion: remansitque mulier orbata duobus liberis ac marito.
both Mahlon and Chilion died. Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or 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.
So she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the country of Moab and return home because she had heard that the Lord had blessed his people there with food.
7 Egressa est itaque de loco peregrinationis suae, cum utraque nuru: et iam in via revertendi posita in Terram Iuda,
She left the place where she had been living and with her two daughters-in-law set out on the road back to the land of Judah.
8 dixit ad eas: Ite in domum matris vestrae, faciat vobiscum Dominus misericordiam, sicut fecistis cum mortuis et mecum.
However, as they left, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Each of you, go back to your mother's homes, and may the Lord be as kind to you as you have been to me, and to those who have died.
9 Det vobis invenire requiem in domibus virorum, quos sortiturae estis. Et osculata est eas. Quae elevata voce flere coeperunt,
May the Lord give you a good home with another husband.” She kissed them, and they all started to cry loudly.
10 et dicere: Tecum pergemus ad populum tuum.
“No! We want to go back with you to your people,” they replied.
11 Quibus illa respondit: Revertimini filiae mi, cur venitis mecum? num ultra habebo filios in utero meo, ut viros ex me sperare possitis?
“Why do you want to go back with me?” Naomi asked. “I'm not able to have any more sons for you to marry.
12 Revertimini filiae mi, et abite: iam enim senectute confecta sum, nec apta vinculo coniugali. etiam si possem hac nocte concipere, et parere filios,
Go back home, my daughters, because I'm too old to marry again. Even if I were to sleep with a new husband tonight and had 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.
would you wait for them to grow up? Would you decide you weren't going to marry anyone else? No. The whole situation is more bitter for me than it is for you, for the Lord has turned against me!”
14 Elevata igitur voce, rursum flere coeperunt, Orpha osculata est socrum, ac reversa est: Ruth adhaesit socrui suae.
They started crying loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth held on tightly to Naomi.
15 cui dixit Noemi: En reversa est cognata tua ad populum suum, et ad deos suos, vade cum ea.
“Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back home with her,” said Naomi.
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.
But Ruth replied, “Please don't keep on telling me to leave you and go back. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be 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.
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me harshly if I let anything but death separate us!”
18 Videns ergo Noemi, quod obstinato animo Ruth decrevisset secum pergere, adversari noluit, nec ad suos ultra reditum persuadere:
When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped telling Ruth to go home.
19 profectaeque sunt simul, et venerunt in Bethlehem. Quibus urbem ingressis, velox apud cunctos fama percrebruit: dicebantque mulieres: Haec est illa Noemi.
So the two of them walked on until they reached Bethlehem. When they arrived there, the whole town got excited. “Is this Naomi?” the women asked.
20 Quibus ait: Ne vocetis me Noemi (id est, pulchram) sed vocate me Mara (id est, amaram) quia amaritudine valde replevit me Omnipotens.
She said to them, “Don't call me Naomi! Call me Mara, for the Almighty has treated me very bitterly.
21 Egressa sum plena, et vacuam reduxit me Dominus. Cur ergo vocatis me Noemi, quam Dominus humiliavit, et afflixit Omnipotens?
I left here full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has condemned me, when the Almighty has brought disaster on me?”
22 Venit ergo Noemi cum Ruth Moabitide nuru sua, de terra peregrinationis suae: ac reversa est in Bethlehem, quando primum hordea metebantur.
This is the way that Naomi returned from Moab with Ruth, the Moabite, her daughter-in-law. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
