³ Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They married Moabite women,^(A) one named Orpah and the other Ruth.^(B) After they had lived there about ten years, ⁵ both Mahlon and Kilion^(C) also died,^(D) and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

⁶ When Naomi heard in Moab^(E) that the Lord had come to the aid of his people^(F) by providing food^(G) for them, she and her daughters-in-law^(H) prepared to return home from there. ⁷ With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

⁸ Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home.^(I) May the Lord show you kindness,^(J) as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands^(K) and to me.

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law^(A) is going back to her people and her gods.^(B) Go back with her.”

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you^(C) or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,^(D) and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people^(E) and your God my God.^{(F) 17} Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(G) if even death separates you and me.”^{(H) 18} When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.^(I)

¹⁹ So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.^(J) When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred^(K) because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

²⁰ “Don’t call me Naomi,^[a]” she told them. “Call me Mara,^[b] because the Almighty^[c](L) has made my life very bitter.^{(M) 21} I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.^(N) Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted^[d] me;^(O) the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”