¹And it came to pass in the days when the judges were judging that there was a famine in the land, and a man went from Bethlehem-Judah to live in the plains of Moab – he and his wife and his two sons. ²Now the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came to the plains of Moab and stayed there. ³Then Elimelech the husband of Naomi died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴And they took Moabitess wives. The name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth, and they dwelt there for about ten years. ⁵Then both Mahlon and Chilion died too, and the woman was left bereaved of her two children and her husband. ⁶So she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and she returned from the plains of Moab, for she had heard in the plain of Moab that the Lord had visited his people by giving them bread. ⁷And she departed from the place where she had been, together with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. ⁸Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go and return, each to your mother's house. May the Lord act kindly with you, as you have done with the dead and with me. ⁹May the Lord grant that you find rest, each in your husband's house.” And she kissed them, and they raised their voice and wept. ¹⁰But they said to her, “It is with you that we will return – to your people.” ¹¹But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb, to be your husbands? ¹²Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old for a husband to have me, for I have said, ‘Is there hope for me, even if a husband had me tonight, and even if I gave birth to sons, ¹³would you wait for them until they grew up? Would you refrain from belonging to another husband for them?’ No, my daughters. For it is much more bitter for me than you, because the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” ¹⁴And they raised their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵Then she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people, and to her gods. Go back after your sister-in-law.” ¹⁶But Ruth said, “Do not press me into leaving you – into giving up following you – for wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people are my people, and your God is my God. ¹⁷Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord so do to me and more still otherwise, for only death will separate you from me.” ¹⁸And she saw that she had resolved to go with her, and she stopped speaking to her. ¹⁹And the two of them journeyed until they had come to Bethlehem, and it came to pass when they came to Bethlehem that the whole city went into commotion over them, and they said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt with me very bitterly. ²¹I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has brought harm on me.” ²²Then Naomi returned, Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law being with her, having returned from the plains of Moab, and they arrived in Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest.