< URuthe 2 >

1 UNawomi wayelesihlobo sakwabozala, indoda eyayinothile osendweni luka-Elimeleki, ibizo layo linguBhowazi.
Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
2 URuthe umʼMowabi wathi kuNawomi, “Yekela ngiye emasimini ngiyedobha inhlamvu zamabele asala emuva kulowo ozakuba lomusa kimi.” UNawomi wathi, “Kulungile, hamba ndodakazi yami.”
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.
3 Wasehamba, wafika wadobha amabele asala ngemuva kwabavunayo. Kwenzakala ukuthi wafika wasebenza ensimini kaBhowazi, owayengowosendo luka-Elimeleki.
So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
4 Kwasekufika uBhowazi evela eBhethilehema, wabingelela abavuni wathi, “UThixo kabe lani!” Baphendula bathi, “UThixo akubusise!”
Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied.
5 UBhowazi wabuza inceku yakhe eyayikhangele abavunayo wathi, “Intombi le ngekabani?”
And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 Yena wathi, “NgeyaseMowabi eyabuya loNawomi.
The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
7 Uthe, ‘Ngicela ukudobha okusalayo phakathi kwezithungo ngemva kwabavunayo.’ Ulokhu efike emasimini ekuseni lokhu esebenza kuze kube khathesi, ngaphandle kokuphumula kancinyane nje emthunzini.”
She has said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a short time in the shelter.”
8 UBhowazi wasesithi kuRuthe, “Lalela lapha-ke ndodakazi yami. Ungaze wayadobha kwenye insimu, ungasuki lapha. Hlala lapha lamantombazana azincekukazi zami.
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls.
9 Nanzelela leyonsimu lapho amadoda avuna khona, wena ulandele amantombazana. Ngiwalayile amadoda ukuba angakuhluphi. Ungezwa usuwomile, uhambe uyenatha ezimbizeni ezikhelelwe zagcwaliswa ngamadoda.”
Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
10 Ekuzwa lokhu uRuthe wathi mbo phansi ngobuso, wambuza wathi, “Kungani ngifumane umusa ongaka kuwe uze ungizwele mina ngingowezizweni?”
At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?”
11 UBhowazi wathi, “Sengitsheliwe ngakho konke owakwenzela unyokozala kusukela ekufeni komkakho lokuthi watshiya uyihlo lonyoko lelizwe lakini weza ukuzahlala labantu owawungabazi ngaphambilini.
Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.
12 Sengathi uThixo angakupha umvuzo ngalokhu okwenzileyo. Sengathi uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, oze ukuphephela ngaphansi kwamaphiko akhe angakupha umvuzo omkhulu.”
May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.”
13 URuthe wathi, “Sengathi ngingaqhubeka ngithola umusa kuwe, nkosi yami. Usungiphe ukududuzeka njalo ukhulume ngomusa encekukazini yakho loba ngingafanele ukuba ngomunye wamantombazana azincekukazi zakho.”
“My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”
14 Ngesikhathi sokudla, uBhowazi wathi kuye, “Woza lapha. Nansi isinkwa, dlana utshebe ngewayini elileviniga.” Wahlala phansi labavunayo, uBhowazi wasemupha amabele akhanzingiweyo. Wadla wasutha waze watshiya.
At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
15 Esesukuma ukuthi ayebutha, uBhowazi walaya amadoda wathi, “Loba angaze adobhe phakathi kwezithungo, lingaze lamhlupha.
When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, do not insult her.
16 Kodwa, hwatshani amanye amahlanga ezithungweni limtshiyele ukuze adobhe kuwo, lingaze lamkhuza.”
Rather, pull out for her some stalks from the bundles and leave them for her to gather. Do not rebuke her.”
17 Ngakho uRuthe wadobha ensimini kwaze kwahwalala. Wasebhula ibhali ayeyidobhile, yagcwala phamu amagokoko amabili.
So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. And when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley.
18 Wayithwala waya layo ngekhaya, uninazala wabona lokho ayekuvunile. URuthe wakhupha ayekutshiyile esedle wasutha, weza lakho wamupha.
She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to Naomi.
19 Uninazala wabuza wathi, “Udobhe ngaphi lamhlanje? Usebenze ngaphi? Ubusisiwe lowomuntu okunanzeleleyo!” URuthe wasemtshela uninazala ngalowo lapho ayekade esebenza khona wathi, “Ibizo lendoda engisebenze kuyo lamhla nguBhowazi.”
Then her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? Blessed be the man who noticed you.” So she told her mother-in-law where she had worked. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20 UNawomi wathi kumalukazana wakhe, “UThixo kambusise! Kayekelanga ukutshengisa umusa wakhe kwabaphilayo lakwasebafayo.” Wengeza njalo wathi, “Indoda leyo iyisihlobo sethu esiseduze; ingomunye wezihlobo zethu ezingabahlengi.”
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”
21 URuthe umʼMowabi wasesithi, “Uze wathi kimi, ‘Ubohlala ulandela izisebenzi zami zize ziqede ukuvuna amabele ami.’”
Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished gathering all my harvest.’”
22 UNawomi wathi kuRuthe umalukazana wakhe, “Kuzakuba kuhle, ndodakazi yami, ukuthi uhambe lamantombazana akhe, ngoba ungahlutshwa ensimini yomunye.”
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.”
23 Ngakho uRuthe waba seduze lamantombazana azincekukazi zikaBhowazi ekudobheni kwaze kwaphela ukuvuna ibhali lengqoloyi. Njalo wahlala loninazala.
So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

< URuthe 2 >