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New Testament
Ruth
This beautiful story serves as a good follow-up to the book of Judges, since it shows how faith lived on even during that dark age. An additional purpose of telling the story of Ruth is to show how the promise of the Savior was carried on from Perez son of Judah to David son of Jesse. The author of the book of Ruth is unknown.
Ruth and Naomi Come to Bethlehem
11During the days of the judges,[] a famine occurred in the land. So a man left Bethlehem in Judah to stay awhile[] in the territory[] of Moab—he, his wife, and his two sons. 2The man's name was Elimelek, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were from the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the territory of Moab and remained there.
3But Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, so she was left with her two sons. 4They then married Moabite wives. The name of the first was Orpah, and the name of the second was Ruth. They lived there for about ten years. 5But Naomi's sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. So the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.
6Then Naomi set out with her daughters-in-law to return from the territory of Moab, because while she was in the territory of Moab, she had heard that the Lord had graciously visited[] his people by providing them with food. 7So she left the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law left with her. They set out on the road to return to the land of Judah.
8But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back. Both of you return to your mother's house. May the Lord show you kindness[] as you have shown kindness to the dead and to me. 9May the Lord grant that each of you finds security[] in the house of a husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept loudly.
10But they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”
11Then Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Am I going to give birth to any more sons[] who could become your husbands? 12Turn back, my daughters. Go! For I am too old to be married to another husband. Suppose I say, ‘I have hope, and I will be married to another husband tonight, and I will even give birth to sons.’ 13Would you wait for them until they grow up? On the basis of that hope would you give up the chance to marry another husband? No, my daughters. It is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has reached out against me.”
14They once again wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth would not let her go.
15Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Go back! Follow your sister-in-law.”
16But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to abandon you or to turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you make your home, I will make my home. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely and double it[] if anything but death[] separates me from you.”
18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
19Then the two of them traveled until they arrived at Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town became excited over them. The women said, “Is this Naomi?”
Footnotes
- 1:1 The judges served not only as judicial officials but also as military deliverers.
- 1:1 Or live as an alien
- 1:1 Literally the field. In Ruth the word field is a key term, which is used in various senses throughout the book.
- 1:6 When God visits people, he comes to bring blessing or correction. Here, obviously, it is blessing.
- 1:8 Or faithfulness
- 1:9 Or rest
- 1:11 Literally do I still have sons in my womb
- 1:17 Literally may the Lord do all this to me and even more. This is an oath with the specific curse left unstated.
- 1:17 Or even death
- 1:20 Naomi means pleasant; Mara means bitter.
- 1:21 Or has afflicted me
- 1:22 March or April