¹In zgodi se v dneh, ko so sodniki vladali, da nastane lakota v deželi. In neki mož iz Betlehema Judovega odide, da prebiva kot tujec na Moabski poljani, on in žena njegova in dva sinova.

¹And it cometh to pass, in the days of the judging of the judges, that there is a famine in the land, and there goeth a man from Beth-Lehem-Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

²Možu pa je bilo ime Elimelek in ženi njegovi Naomi, njegova dva sinova pa sta se imenovala Mahlon in Kiljon, Efratejca iz Betlehema Judovega. In prišli so na Moabsko poljano in bivali ondi.

²And the name of the man [is] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth-Lehem-Judah; and they come into the fields of Moab, and are there.

³Elimelek pa, Naomin mož, je umrl, in ona je ostala z dvema sinoma svojima.

³And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth, and she is left, she and her two sons;

⁴Ta si vzameta ženi Moabki, eni je bilo ime Orfa in drugi Ruta. In prebivali so ondi blizu deset let.

⁴and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one [is] Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.

⁵Potem umrjeta obadva, Mahlon in Kiljon, in žena ostane za dvema sinoma svojima in za možem svojim.

⁵And they die also, both of them — Mahlon and Chilion — and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.

⁶Tedaj vstane ona z dvema snahama svojima, da bi se povrnila z Moabske poljane; slišala je namreč v kraju moabskem, da je GOSPOD obiskal ljudstvo svoje, ko mu je dal kruha.

⁶And she riseth, she and her daughters-in-law, and turneth back from the fields of Moab, for she hath heard in the fields of Moab that God hath looked after His people, — to give to them bread.

⁷Odpravi se torej iz mesta, kjer je bivala, in ž njo dve snahi njeni, in nastopijo pot, da se vrnejo v deželo Judovo.

⁷And she goeth out from the place where she hath been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they go in the way to turn back unto the land of Judah.

⁸In Naomi reče dvema snahama svojima: Pojdita in vrnita se, vsaka v svoje matere hišo! GOSPOD stóri vama milost, kakor ste jo storili mrtvima in meni.

⁸And Naomi saith to her two daughters-in-law, `Go, turn back, each to the house of her mother; Jehovah doth with you kindness as ye have done with the dead, and with me;

⁹Daj vama GOSPOD, da najdeta pokoj, vsaka v svojega moža hiši. In ju poljubi. Oni pa povzdigneta glas svoj in jočeta.

⁹Jehovah doth grant to you, and find ye rest each in the house of her husband;` and she kisseth them, and they lift up their voice and weep.

¹⁰In ji rečeta: Nikar, ampak vrneva se s teboj k ljudstvu tvojemu.

¹⁰And they say to her, `Surely with thee we go back to thy people.`

¹¹Naomi pa reče: Vrnita se, hčerki moji! Čemu bi hoteli z menoj iti? Nosim li še sinove v telesu svojem, ki bi vam bili možje?

¹¹And Naomi saith, `Turn back, my daughters; why do ye go with me? are there yet to me sons in my bowels that they have been to you for husbands?

¹²Vrnita se, hčerki moji, in pojdita! Prestara sem že, da bi vzela moža. In ko bi tudi rekla: Upam, da dobim še to noč moža in porodim sinove,

¹²Turn back, my daughters, go, for I am too aged to be to a husband; though I had said, There is for me hope, also, I have been to-night to a husband, and also I have borne sons:

¹³bosta li hoteli čakati, dokler odrastejo? hočeta li zaradi njih odlašati, da ne bi vzeli moža? Ne, hčerki moji! zakaj meni je veliko bridkejše nego vama, ker roka GOSPODOVA je iztegnjena zoper mene.

¹³for them do ye wait till that they grow up? for them do ye shut yourselves up, not to be to a husband? nay, my daughters, for more bitter to me than to you, for the hand of Jehovah hath gone out against me.`

¹⁴In oni povzdigneta glas svoj in jočeta še bolj. Orfa pa poljubi taščo svojo in odide. A Ruta se je oklene.

¹⁴And they lift up their voice, and weep again, and Orpah kisseth her mother-in-law, and Ruth hath cleaved to her.

¹⁵Ona pa reče: Glej, jetrva tvoja se je vrnila k svojemu ljudstvu in k svojemu bogu; vrni se tudi ti za jetrvo svojo!

¹⁵And she saith, `Lo, thy sister-in-law hath turned back unto her people, and unto her god, turn thou back after thy sister-in-law.`

¹⁶Ruta odgovori: Nikar me ne sili, da te zapustim in se obrnem, da ne bi šla za teboj! Ker kamor ti greš, hočem iti tudi jaz, in kjerkoli ostaneš, ostanem tudi jaz: tvoje ljudstvo je ljudstvo moje, in tvoj Bog je moj Bog!

¹⁶And Ruth saith, `Urge me not to leave thee — to turn back from after thee; for whither thou goest I go, and where thou lodgest I lodge; thy people [is] my people, and thy God my God.

¹⁷Kjer umrješ, umrjem tudi jaz in ondi hočem biti pokopana. GOSPOD mi stóri to in ono, če sama smrt ne loči mene in tebe.

¹⁷Where thou diest I die, and there I am buried; thus doth Jehovah to me, and thus doth He add — for death itself doth part between me and thee.`

¹⁸Ko torej vidi, da se je trdno namenila iti ž njo, neha jo odvračati.

¹⁸And she seeth that she is strengthening herself to go with her, and she ceaseth to speak unto her;

¹⁹In šli sta obedve, da sta dospeli v Betlehem. In zgodi se, ko prideta v Betlehem, da se vznemiri zanju vse mesto, in žene so dejale: Je li ta Naomi?

¹⁹and they go both of them till their coming in to Beth-Lehem; and it cometh to pass at their coming in to Beth-Lehem, that all the city is moved at them, and they say, `Is this Naomi?`

²⁰Ona pa reče: Ne imenujte me Naome [T. j. radost.], ampak kličite me Maro [T. j. bridkost.], ker me je Vsegamogočni prenapolnil z bridkostjo!

²⁰And she saith unto them, `Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,

²¹Polna sem šla odtod, a prazno me je pripeljal domov GOSPOD. Zakaj mi pravite Naomi, ker me je ponižal GOSPOD in Vsegamogočni mi hudo storil?Tako se je vrnila Naomi in ž njo Ruta Moabka, njena snaha, ki je odšla z Moabske poljane; in dospeli sta v Betlehem, prav ko se je ječmenova žetev začela.

²¹I went out full, and empty hath Jehovah brought me back, why do ye call me Naomi, and Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath done evil to me?`

²²Tako se je vrnila Naomi in ž njo Ruta Moabka, njena snaha, ki je odšla z Moabske poljane; in dospeli sta v Betlehem, prav ko se je ječmenova žetev začela.

²²And Naomi turneth back, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who hath turned back from the fields of Moab, and they have come in to Beth-Lehem at the commencement of barley-harvest.