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

¹It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live 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.

²The 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. They came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

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

³Elimelech, 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.

⁴They took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about ten years.

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

⁵Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved 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.

⁶Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Yahweh “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations. had visited his people in giving them bread.

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

⁷She went forth out of the place where she was, 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.

⁸Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house: Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.

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

⁹Yahweh grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

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

¹⁰They said to her, “No, but we will return with you to your people.”

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

¹¹Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may 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,

¹²Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, ‘I have hope,’ if I should even have a husband tonight, and should 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 you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.”

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

¹⁴They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.

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

¹⁵She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Follow your 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;

¹⁶Ruth said, “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “Elohim.” my God;

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

¹⁷where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me.”

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

¹⁸When she saw that she was steadfastly 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?

¹⁹So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. It happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they asked, “Is this Naomi?”

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

²⁰She said to them, “Don’t call me 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 Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh has testified against me, 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 country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.