Elimelek naangandjawo taa tembukile kuMoab
1-2 Konalenale manga muIsrael kaamwa li omukwaniilwa, oshilongo osha adhika kondjala. MuBetlehem shaJuda omwa li omusamane Omuefrata, edhina lye Elimelek. Pamwe nomukadhi Naemi noyanamati Maklon naKilion Elimelek okwa tembukile kuMoab, ya kale ko. Manga nee ya li ko, 3 Elimelek okwa mana oondjenda, Naemi e ta kala noyana, 4 mboka ya li ya hokana aakadhona Aamoabi, Orpa naRut. Sho pwa piti omimvo omulongo, 5 Maklon naKilion oya mana wo oondjenda, Naemi e ta kala po kee na omulumentu noyana.
Naemi naRut taa yi kuBetlehem
6 Konima yethimbo Naemi okwa kundana kutya Omuwa okwa yambeke aantu ye muJuda e ya pe eloolo. Osho ngaaka okwa thigi po Moab e ta yi niitenya ye. 7 Oyi idhenge mela lyondjila, opo ya shune kuJuda, ihe mondjila 8 Naemi okwa ti kiitenya ye: “Shuneni kaandjeni. Omuwa ne mu pe uuwanawa, ngaashi mwa kala nawa nangame nonaasi yandje. 9 Omuwa na pe kehe gumwe ompolo yokuhokanwa, a mone egumbo.”
Osho ngaaka Naemi okwe ya laleke nohole. Ihe oya tameke okulila 10 taa ti kuye: “Aawe, kuku. Otatu yi nangoye koyaandjeni.”
11 Naemi okwe ya yamukula ta ti: “Shuneni, aamwandje. Omolwashike mwa hala okuya nangame? Omu shi, otandi mono we aamati, ye mu hokane? 12 Indeni kaandjeni, oshoka ngame onda kulupa, ite hokanwa we. Nonando nee ndi tye, ondi na etegameno lyehokano ongulohi ndjika, ndi mone aamati, 13 otamu ya tegelele tuu, ye mu adhe ye mu hokane? Aawe, aamwandje, omu shi shi kutya itashi vulika. Omuwa okwa fupipike ndje, ngame nondi na shili ohenda nane.”
14 Iitenya ye oya tameke okulila ishewe. Opo ihe Orpa a hupita yinamweno e ta shuna koyaandjawo, ihe Rut okwa tindile po puye. 15 Naemi okwa ti kuye: “Uutenyuukweni okwa yi koyaandjawo nokookalunga ke. Inda naye.”
16 Ndele Rut okwa yamukula: “Ino tya, nii ku thige po. Pitika ndje, ndi ye nangoye. Nankoka to yi, oko te yi wo, naankoka to kala, oko nda hala okukala wo. Aangandjoye otaa ka ninga aangandjetu, ngaashika Kalunga koye ota ka kala Kalunga kandje wo. 17 Mpoka to sile, nangame wo opo tii ka sila nopo wo pombila yandje. Omuwa na geele ndje nayi, ngele tandi ku etha, shila eso tali tu topola.”
18 Ano Naemi sho a mono kutya Rut a tindile metokolo lye okuya pamwe naye, okwa ti ashike thilu.
19 Oya yi sigo okuBetlehem. Sho ya thiki ko, omukunda aguhe ogwa tukuluka, aakulukadhi e taa igidha taa ti: “ONaemi tuu shili nguno?”
20 Nguka okwa yamukula: “Inamu tya ndje we Naemi, tyeni shila Mara, oshoka Kalunga Omunankondoawike okwa monitha ndje uululu. 21 Sho nda zile mpaka, onda li omuyamba, ihe Omuwa a galula ndje ndaa na noluthipathipa. Oshike tamu ithana ndje Naemi, Omuwa sho a pangula ndje, nOmunankondoawike sho u unzile ndje momupya?”
22 Osho ano ngaaka Naemi a zile kuMoab pamwe naRut, oshitenya she Oshimoabi. Sho ya thiki muBetlehem, eteyo lyiishokelya olya li opo lya tameke.
Ruth Is Loyal to Naomi
1-2 Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the clan of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed in Israel, they moved to the country of Moab. And while they were there, 3 Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with only her two sons.
4 Later, Naomi's sons married Moabite women. One was named Orpah and the other Ruth. About ten years later, 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died. Now Naomi had no husband or sons.
6-7 When Naomi heard that the Lord had given his people a good harvest, she and her two daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab and go to Judah. As they were on their way there, 8 Naomi said to them, “Don't you want to go back home to your own mothers? You were kind to my husband and sons, and you've always been kind to me. I pray that the Lord will be just as kind to you. 9 May he give each of you another husband and a home of your own.”
Naomi kissed them. They cried 10 and said, “We want to go with you and live among your people.”
11 But she replied, “My daughters, why don't you return home? What good will it do you to go with me? Do you think I could have more sons for you to marry? 12 You must go back home, because I am too old to marry again. Even if I got married tonight and later had more sons, 13 would you wait for them to become old enough to marry? No, my daughters! Life is harder for me than it is for you, because the Lord has turned against me.”
14 They cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her. 15 Naomi then said to Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and to her gods! Why don't you go with her?”
16 Ruth answered,
“Please don't tell me
to leave you
and return home!
I will go where you go,
I will live where you live;
your people will be my people,
your God will be my God.
17 I will die where you die
and be buried beside you.
May the Lord punish me
if we are ever separated,
even by death!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her to go back.
19 They reached Bethlehem, and the whole town was excited to see them. The women who lived there asked, “Can this really be Naomi?”
20 Then she told them, “Don't call me Naomi any longer! Call me Mara, because God has made my life bitter. 21 I had everything when I left, but the Lord has brought me back with nothing. How can you still call me Naomi, when God has turned against me and made my life so hard?”
22 The barley harvest was just beginning when Naomi and Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, arrived in Bethlehem.
