< URuthe 2 >

1 UNawomi wayelesihlobo sakwabozala, indoda eyayinothile osendweni luka-Elimeleki, ibizo layo linguBhowazi.
And Naomi had a relation of her husband, a man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his 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, Now let me go into the field and take up the heads of grain after him in whose eyes I may have grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
3 Wasehamba, wafika wadobha amabele asala ngemuva kwabavunayo. Kwenzakala ukuthi wafika wasebenza ensimini kaBhowazi, owayengowosendo luka-Elimeleki.
And she went, and came and took up the heads of grain in the field after the cutters; and by chance she went into that part of the field which was the property of Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
4 Kwasekufika uBhowazi evela eBhethilehema, wabingelela abavuni wathi, “UThixo kabe lani!” Baphendula bathi, “UThixo akubusise!”
And Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said to the grain-cutters, The Lord be with you. And they made answer, The Lord give you his blessing.
5 UBhowazi wabuza inceku yakhe eyayikhangele abavunayo wathi, “Intombi le ngekabani?”
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in authority over the cutters, Whose girl is this?
6 Yena wathi, “NgeyaseMowabi eyabuya loNawomi.
And the servant who was in authority over the cutters said, It is a Moabite girl who came back with Naomi out of the country 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.”
And she said to me, Let me come into the grain-field and take up the grain after the cutters. So she came, and has been here from morning till now, without resting even for a minute.
8 UBhowazi wasesithi kuRuthe, “Lalela lapha-ke ndodakazi yami. Ungaze wayadobha kwenye insimu, ungasuki lapha. Hlala lapha lamantombazana azincekukazi zami.
Then said Boaz to Ruth, Give ear to me, my daughter: do not go to take up the grain in another field, or go away from here, but keep here by my young women:
9 Nanzelela leyonsimu lapho amadoda avuna khona, wena ulandele amantombazana. Ngiwalayile amadoda ukuba angakuhluphi. Ungezwa usuwomile, uhambe uyenatha ezimbizeni ezikhelelwe zagcwaliswa ngamadoda.”
Keep your eyes on the field they are cutting, and go after them; have I not given orders to the young men not to put a hand on you? And when you are in need of drink go to the vessels and take of what the young men have put there.
10 Ekuzwa lokhu uRuthe wathi mbo phansi ngobuso, wambuza wathi, “Kungani ngifumane umusa ongaka kuwe uze ungizwele mina ngingowezizweni?”
Then she went down on her face to the earth, and said to him, Why have I grace in your eyes, that you give attention to me, seeing I am from a strange people?
11 UBhowazi wathi, “Sengitsheliwe ngakho konke owakwenzela unyokozala kusukela ekufeni komkakho lokuthi watshiya uyihlo lonyoko lelizwe lakini weza ukuzahlala labantu owawungabazi ngaphambilini.
And Boaz answering said to her, I have had news of everything you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband; how you went away from your father and mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people who are strange to you.
12 Sengathi uThixo angakupha umvuzo ngalokhu okwenzileyo. Sengathi uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, oze ukuphephela ngaphansi kwamaphiko akhe angakupha umvuzo omkhulu.”
The Lord give you a reward for what you have done, and may a full reward be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take cover.
13 URuthe wathi, “Sengathi ngingaqhubeka ngithola umusa kuwe, nkosi yami. Usungiphe ukududuzeka njalo ukhulume ngomusa encekukazini yakho loba ngingafanele ukuba ngomunye wamantombazana azincekukazi zakho.”
Then she said, May I have grace in your eyes, my lord, for you have given me comfort, and you have said kind words to your servant, though I am not like one of your servants.
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.
And at meal-time Boaz said to her, Come here, and take some of the bread, and put your bit into the wine. And she took her seat among the grain-cutters: and he gave her dry grain, and she took it, and there was more than enough for her meal.
15 Esesukuma ukuthi ayebutha, uBhowazi walaya amadoda wathi, “Loba angaze adobhe phakathi kwezithungo, lingaze lamhlupha.
And when she got ready to take up the grain, Boaz gave his young men orders, saying, Let her take it even from among the cut grain, and say nothing to her.
16 Kodwa, hwatshani amanye amahlanga ezithungweni limtshiyele ukuze adobhe kuwo, lingaze lamkhuza.”
And let some heads of grain be pulled out of what has been corded up, and dropped for her to take, and let no sharp word be said to her.
17 Ngakho uRuthe wadobha ensimini kwaze kwahwalala. Wasebhula ibhali ayeyidobhile, yagcwala phamu amagokoko amabili.
So she went on getting together the heads of grain till evening; and after crushing out the seed it came to about an ephah of grain.
18 Wayithwala waya layo ngekhaya, uninazala wabona lokho ayekuvunile. URuthe wakhupha ayekutshiyile esedle wasutha, weza lakho wamupha.
And she took it up and went into the town; and she let her mother-in-law see what she had got, and after taking enough for herself she gave her the rest.
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.”
And her mother-in-law said to her, Where did you take up the grain today, and where were you working? May a blessing be on him who gave such attention to you. And she gave her mother-in-law an account of where she had been working, and said, The name of the man with whom I was working today is Boaz.
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.”
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, May the blessing of the Lord, who has at all times been kind to the living and to the dead, be on him. And Naomi said to her, The man is of our family, one of our near relations.
21 URuthe umʼMowabi wasesithi, “Uze wathi kimi, ‘Ubohlala ulandela izisebenzi zami zize ziqede ukuvuna amabele ami.’”
And Ruth the Moabitess said, Truly, he said to me, Keep near my young men till all my grain is cut.
22 UNawomi wathi kuRuthe umalukazana wakhe, “Kuzakuba kuhle, ndodakazi yami, ukuthi uhambe lamantombazana akhe, ngoba ungahlutshwa ensimini yomunye.”
And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, It is better, my daughter, for you to go out with his servant-girls, so that no danger may come to you in another field.
23 Ngakho uRuthe waba seduze lamantombazana azincekukazi zikaBhowazi ekudobheni kwaze kwaphela ukuvuna ibhali lengqoloyi. Njalo wahlala loninazala.
So she kept near the servant-girls of Boaz to take up the grain till the cutting of the early grain and the cutting of the late grain were ended; and she went on living with her mother-in-law.

< URuthe 2 >