Ruth
and Naomi
Ruth Chapter 1
So she and her
daughters-in-law got ready to go back from the country of Moab, for news had
come to her in the
country of Moab that the
Lord, in mercy for his people, had given them food. And she went out of
the place
where she was, and her two
daughters-in-law with her; and they went on their way to go back to the land of
Judah.
And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back to your
mothers' houses: may the Lord be good to you as you
have been good to the dead and to me: May the Lord give you
rest in the houses of your husbands. Then she
gave them a kiss; and they were weeping bitterly. And
they said to her, No, but we will go back with you to your
people. But Naomi said, Go back, my daughters; why will you come
with me? Have I more sons in my body, to
become your husbands? Go back, my daughters, and go on
your way; I am so old now that I may not have another
husband. If I said, I have hopes, if
I had a husband tonight, and might have sons, Would you keep yourselves till
they were
old enough? would you keep
from having husbands for them? No, my daughters; but I am very sad for you that
the
hand of the Lord is against
me. Then again they were weeping; and Orpah gave her mother-in-law a kiss, but
Ruth
would not be parted from her. And Naomi said, See, your
sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods:
go back after your
sister-in-law. But Ruth said, Give up requesting me to go away from you, or to
go back without
you: for where you go I will
go; and where you take your rest I will take my rest; your people will be
my people, and your God my God.
