¹Zvino namazuva okutonga kwavatongi nzara yakanga iripo panyika. Mumwe murume weBheterehemu-judha akandogara panyika yaMoabhu, iye nomukadzi wake navanakomana vake vaviri.

¹And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man went from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

²Zita romurume rakanga riri Erimereki, nezita romukadzi wake Naomi; mazita avanakomana vake vaviri aiva Maroni naKirioni, vaEfurata veBheterehemu-judha. Ivo vakasvika panyika yaMoabhu, vakagarako.

²And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

³Zvino Erimereki murume waNaomi, akafa, iye akasiiwa navanakomana vake vaviri.

³And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

⁴Ivo vakazviwanira vakadzi kuvaMoabhu; zita romumwe raiva Oripa, nezita romumwe Rute; vakagarako makore anenge gumi.

⁴And they took them Moabitish wives; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth: and they abode there about ten years.

⁵Maroni naKirioni vakafawo, vose vari vaviri, mukadzi akasiiwa asina vanakomana vake vaviri nomurume wake.

⁵And Mahlon and Chilion died also, both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.

⁶Ipapo akasimuka navakadzi vavana vake, achida kubva kunyika yaMoabhu; nekuti wakange anzwa achiri panyika yaMoabhu, kuti Jehovha wakarangarira vanhu vake, akavapa zvokudya.

⁶And she arose, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the fields of Moab; for she had heard in the fields of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people to give them bread.

⁷Akabva kwaakanga ari navakadzi vavana vake vaviri, vakafamba nenzira inodzokera kunyika yaJudha.

⁷Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

⁸Zvino Naomi akati kuvakadzi vavana vake vaviri, Endai, dzokerai mumwe nomumwe kumba kwamai vake; Jehovha ngaakuitirei zvakanaka, sezvamakaitira vakafa neniwo.

⁸And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house. Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead and with me.

⁹Jehovha ngaakuzorodzei, mumwe nomumwe mumba momurume wake. Akavatsvoda, ivo vakachema kwazvo.

⁹Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each in the house of her husband. And she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice and wept.

¹⁰Vakati kwaari, Kwete, tichaenda nemwi kana modzokera kuvanhu venyu.

¹⁰And they said to her, We will certainly return with thee to thy people.

¹¹Naomi akati, Dzokai, vana vangu, muchaendereiko neni? Ini ndichina vamwe vanakomana mumuviri wangu vangazova varume venyu here?

¹¹And Naomi said, Return, my daughters: why will ye go with me? Are there yet sons in my womb, that they could be your husbands?

¹²Dzokai, vana vangu, endai henyu, nekuti ini ndachembera, handingawanikwi nomurumezve. Kunyangwe ndikati; ndichine tariro kuti ndingabereka vanakomana, kana ndaiva nomurume usiku hwuno,

¹²Return, my daughters, go; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, should I even have a husband to-night, and should I also bear sons,

¹³mungavamirira kusvikira vakura here? Mungaramba kuwanikwa navamwe varume naizvozvo here? Kwete, vana vangu, nekuti zvinovava kwazvo kwandiri kupfuura imwi, nekuti ruoko rwaJehovha runorwa neni.

¹³would ye wait on that account till they were grown? Would ye stay on that account from having husbands? No, my daughters, for I am in much more bitterness than you; for the hand of Jehovah is gone out against me.

¹⁴Ipapo vakachemazve kwazvo, Oripa akatsvoda vamwene vake, asi Rute wakavanamatira.

¹⁴And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave to her.

¹⁵Akati, Tarira, vakoma vako vadzokera kuvanhu vako, nokunamwari wake; dzoka newewo, utevere vakoma vako.

¹⁵And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people and to her gods: return after thy sister-in-law.

¹⁶Rute akati, Musandirwaririra kuti ndikusiyei, ndirege kukuteverai; nekuti pamunoenda neni ndichaendapowo; pamunovata, neni ndichavatapowo; navanhu venyu vachava vanhu vangu, naMwari wenyu achava Mwari wangu;

¹⁶And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee, to return from [following] after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;

¹⁷pamunondofira, ndipo pandichandofira neniwo, ndipo pandichavigwawo; Jehovha ngaandirove, arambe achidaro, kana imwi neni tikaparadzaniswa nechinhu, asi norufu chete.

¹⁷where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part me and thee!

¹⁸Zvino wakati achiona kuti watsungirira kwazvo kuenda naye, akarega kuzotaura naye.

¹⁸And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.

¹⁹Naizvozvo ivavo vaviri vakafamba kusvikira paBheterehemu. Zvino vakati vachisvika paBheterehemu, guta rose rikashamiswa pamusoro pavo; vakadzi vakati, Uyu ndiye Naomi here?

¹⁹And they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they came to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and the [women] said, Is this Naomi?

²⁰Akati kwavari, Regai kundiidza Naomi, asi mundiidze Mara, nekuti waMasimbaose wakandiitira zvinovava kwazvo.

²⁰And she said to them, Call me not Naomi -- call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

²¹Ndakabuda ndizere, Jehovha akandidzoserazve kumusha ndisina chinhu; munondiidzireiko Naomi, Jehovha zvaakandipupurira mhosva, waMasimbaose zvaakandimanikidza?

²¹I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me home again empty. Why do ye call me Naomi, seeing Jehovah has brought me low, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

²²Naizvozvo Naomi akadzoka naRute muMoabhu, mukadzi womwana wake, vachibva kunyika yaMoabhu; vakasvika paBheterehemu vanhu votanga kukohwa bhari.

²²So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the fields of Moab; and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley-harvest.