< URuthe 1 >
1 Kwasekusithi ensukwini abahluleli abahlulela ngazo kwaba khona indlala elizweni. Umuntu weBhethelehema-Juda wasehamba ukuyahlala njengowezizwe elizweni lakoMowabi, yena lomkakhe lamadodana akhe amabili.
It happened in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons.
2 Njalo ibizo lalowomuntu lalinguElimeleki, lebizo lomkakhe lalinguNawomi, lebizo lamadodana akhe amabili lalinguMaheloni loKiliyoni, amaEfratha eBhethelehema-Juda. Basebesiza elizweni lakoMowabi, baba khona.
The name of the man was Elimelek, and the name of his wife was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion, who were Ephrathites of Bethlehem of Judah. They arrived at the country of Moab and lived there.
3 UElimeleki umkaNawomi wasesifa, wasetshiywa yena lamadodana akhe womabili.
Then Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4 Asezithathela abafazi amaMowabikazi, ibizo lomunye lalinguOpha, lebizo lomunye lalinguRuthe. Basebehlala khona phose iminyaka elitshumi.
These sons took wives from the women of Moab; the name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there for about ten years.
5 Basebesifa labo bobabili oMaheloni loKiliyoni; owesifazana wasetshiywa ngabantwana bakhe bobabili layindoda yakhe.
Then both Mahlon and Kilion died, leaving Naomi without her husband and without her two children.
6 Wasesukuma yena labomalokazana bakhe wabuyela esuka eselizweni lakoMowabi, ngoba wayesezwile elizweni lakoMowabi ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantu bayo ngokubanika ukudla.
Then Naomi decided to leave Moab with her daughters-in-law and return to Judah because she had heard in the region of Moab that Yahweh had helped his people in need and had given them food.
7 Ngakho waphuma endaweni lapho ayekhona labomalokazana bakhe bobabili kanye laye, bahamba endleleni ukubuyela elizweni lakoJuda.
So she left the place where she had been with her two daughters-in-law, and they walked down the road to return to the land of Judah.
8 UNawomi wasesithi kubomalokazana bakhe bobabili: Hambani libuyele ngulowo lalowo endlini kanina; iNkosi kayilenzele umusa njengoba lenza kwabafileyo lakimi.
Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return, each of you, to your mother's house. May Yahweh show kindness toward you, as you have shown kindness toward the dead and toward me.
9 INkosi kayilinike ukuthi lithole ukuphumula, ngulowo lalowo endlini yomkakhe. Wasebanga, basebephakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi.
May the Lord grant you that you find rest, each of you in the house of another husband.” Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and cried.
10 Basebesithi kuye: Isibili, sizabuyela lawe ebantwini bakini.
They said to her, “No! We will return with you to your people.”
11 Kodwa uNawomi wathi: Buyelani, madodakazi ami, lizahambelani lami? Kambe ngiselamadodana esiswini sami ukuthi abe ngomkenu?
But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters! Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb for you, so that they may become your husbands?
12 Buyelani, madodakazi ami, zihambeleni, ngoba sengimdala kakhulu ukuthi ngibe lendoda. Loba ngingathi ngilethemba lokuthi lami ngalobubusuku ngibe lendoda, njalo ngizale amadodana,
Turn back, my daughters, go your own way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said, 'I hope I get a husband tonight,' and then give birth to sons,
13 belingawalindela yini aze akhule? Belingazivimbela lingabi lendoda yini? Hatshi, madodakazi ami, ngoba kuyababa kakhulu kimi kulakini ukuthi isandla seNkosi siphume ukumelana lami.
would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you choose not to marry a husband? No, my daughters! It is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.”
14 Basebephakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi futhi. UOpha wasemanga uninazala, kodwa uRuthe wanamathela kuye.
Then her daughters-in-law lifted up their voices and cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell, but Ruth held on to her.
15 Wasesithi: Khangela, umkamfowenu usebuyele ebantwini bakibo lakubonkulunkulu bakhe; buyela umlandele umkamfowenu.
Naomi said, “Listen, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law.”
16 Kodwa uRuthe wathi: Ungangincengi ukuthi ngikutshiye, ngibuyele ngiyekele ukukulandela; ngoba lapho oya khona, ngizakuya khona, lalapho olala khona, ngizalala khona. Abantu bakho bangabantu bami, loNkulunkulu wakho unguNkulunkulu wami;
But Ruth said, “Do not make me go away from you, for where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
17 lapho ozafela khona, ngizafela khona, ngingcwatshelwe lapho. INkosi kayenze njalo kimi ngokunjalo yengezelele, ngoba yikufa kuphela okuzakwehlukanisa phakathi kwami lawe.
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me, and even more, if anything but death ever separates us.”
18 Kwathi esebonile ukuthi uzimisele ukuhamba laye waseyekela ukukhuluma kuye.
When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped arguing with her.
19 Basebehamba bobabili baze bafika eBhethelehema. Kwasekusithi sebefikile eBhethelehema umuzi wonke wayaluzela ngenxa yabo, bathi: Lo nguNawomi yini?
So the two traveled until they came to the town of Bethlehem. It happened that when they arrived in Bethlehem, the entire town was very excited about them. The women said, “Is this Naomi?”
20 Wasesithi kibo: Lingangibizi ngokuthi Nawomi, lingibize ngokuthi Mara; ngoba uSomandla ungiphethe ngokubaba okukhulu.
But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 Mina ngasuka ngigcwele, njalo iNkosi ingibuyise ngingelalutho. Lingibizelani ngokuthi Nawomi lokhu iNkosi ifakaze imelane lami, loSomandla ungihluphile?
I went out full, but Yahweh has brought me home again empty. So why do you call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has condemned me, that the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22 Wabuyela ngokunjalo uNawomi loRuthe umMowabikazi umalokazana wakhe kanye laye, owabuyela evela elizweni lakoMowabi. Bona-ke bafika eBhethelehema ekuqaliseni kwesivuno sebhali.
So Naomi and Ruth the Moabite woman, her daughter-in-law, returned from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.