Ruth 1

1 In the days [of spiritual leadership] when the judges [governed, vindicated] ruled, there was a famine [a time of hunger, lack of spiritual nourishment] in the land [the earth, a country]. And a certain man [a husband, father] from Bethlehem [house of bread, a place of abundance] in Judah [a tribe of Israel, a region], with his wife [a female partner, companion] and two [a pair, a duo] sons, went to reside [to live, dwell] in the land [the country, territory] of Moab [a place of inheritance, a nation]. word study 2 The man’s name [identity, character] was Elimelech [my God is king], his wife’s name [personal identity] was Naomi [pleasant, lovely], and the names [identities] of his two [a pair, dual] sons were Mahlon [sick, weak] and Chilion [pining, frail]. They were Ephrathites [from Ephrathah, a part of Judah] from Bethlehem [house of bread] in Judah [praise, worship], and they entered [came into, approached] the land [fields, territory] of Moab [descendants of Lot] and settled [lived, remained] there [in that place, at that time]. word study 3 Then Naomi’s husband [her man, spouse] Elimelech [my God is king] died [came to his end, passed away], and she was left [remained, spared] with her two [a pair of] sons [children, descendants], word study 4 who took Moabite [women of the land of Moab] women as their wives, one named Orpah [a Moabite woman, wife of Chilion] and the other named Ruth [a Moabite, part of the royal lineage]. And after they had lived [dwelt, remained] in Moab [the land of the Moabites] about ten [a decade, a period of completion] years, word study 5 both Mahlon [the sick one] and Chilion [also dying] also died [passed away, came to their end], and Naomi was left [remained, bereaved] without her two [pair of] sons and without her husband [man, spouse]. word study 6 When Naomi [the pleasant one, a wife and mother] heard in Moab [a land east of the Jordan, descended from Lot] that the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant-keeping God] had attended to [visited, overseen, and cared for] His people [the nation of Israel, His chosen ones] by providing them with [giving, supplying, and sustaining them with] food [bread, grain, and nourishment], she and her daughters-in-law [her brides, the wives of her sons] prepared to leave [to return, to turn back, and to depart from] the land of Moab [the country and territory of Moab]. word study 7 Accompanied by her two [both, a pair of] daughters-in-law [brides, women married to her sons], she left [went out, departed from] the place [location, region] where she had been living [residing, dwelling] and set out [began to walk, started her journey] on the road [way, path] leading back [to return, towards] to the land [earth, territory] of Judah [the tribe, the region]. word study 8 Then Naomi [an Israelite woman, mother of Mahlon and Chilion] said to her two [a pair, dual] daughters-in-law, “Go back [return, turn around], each of you to your mother’s [maternal, female parent] home [dwelling place, household]. May the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] show you [bestow upon, grant] loving devotion [kindness, mercy], as you have shown [dealt with, treated] to your dead [those who have passed away, the deceased] and to me [Naomi, the speaker]. word study 9 May the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] enable [to give, put, or set] each of you to find [to attain or discover] rest [a resting place, peaceful home, or state of quietness] in the home [house, dwelling place] of your new husband [man, male person, or individual].” And she kissed [to touch, or show affection] them as they wept [to cry, or shed tears] aloud [with a loud voice, or sound] word study 10 and said [to her, unto her], “Surely [certainly, no] we will return [go back, turn back] with [near, alongside] you to your people [nation, relatives, Amaw].” word study 11 But Naomi replied, “Return home [turn again, go back], my daughters [female children, women of God]. Why would you go with me [accompany me, follow me]? Are there still [yet, any more] sons [male descendants, children] in my womb [belly, inner being] to become your husbands [spouses, life partners]? word study 12 Return home, my daughters [go your way, turn again]. Go on, for I am too old [spent with age, advanced in years] to have another husband [to be married again, to marry]. Even if I thought there was hope [expectancy, a cord that attaches] for me to have a husband [a male person, a man] tonight [in this night, during the darkness] and to bear sons [to give birth, to beget children], word study 13 would you wait [tarry, remain unmarried] for them to grow up [become old enough, reach man’s estate]? Would you refrain [shut yourselves up, abstain] from having husbands [marrying again, taking a spouse]? No, my daughters [female children, women], it grieves [causes bitter sorrow, provokes intense emotion] me very much [exceedingly, greatly] for your sakes [on your account, because of you] that the hand [power, direction] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] has gone out [come out, proceeded] against me [in opposition to me, against my well-being].” word study 14 Again they wept [lifted up their voice and wept] aloud, and Orpah [the Moabite woman] kissed her mother-in-law [the husband’s mother, a family relationship] goodbye, but Ruth [a Moabite woman, part of the royal lineage] clung [cleaved to, stuck to] to her [with loyalty and devotion]. word study 15 “Look [behold, see],” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law [relative by marriage, spouse’s sister] has gone back [returned, turned back] to her people [nation, community] and her gods [idols, false deities]; follow [go after, return with] her back home [to your native land].” word study 16 But Ruth replied: “Do not [stop or prevent me from] urge me to leave you or to turn from following [pursuing, cleaving to] you. For wherever [in any place, to whatever destination] you go, I will go, and wherever [in any location, at any time] you live [dwell, reside], I will live; your people [nation, family] will be my people, and your God [Elohim, the one true God] will be my God. word study 17 Where you die [in the place of your death], I will die, and there [in that same location] I will be buried [laid to rest, interred]. May the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] punish me [judge me, hold me accountable], and ever so severely [with utmost severity, harshly], if anything but death [except the end of life, only by dying] separates you and me [parts us, comes between us].” word study 18 When Naomi saw [perceived, realized] that Ruth was determined [stedfastly minded, strongly resolved] to go [to walk, to journey] with her [in close relationship, near to her], she stopped [ceased, left off] trying to persuade [speak to, communicate with] her [to change her mind, to return home]. word study 19 So Naomi [the pleasant one, a woman of faith] and Ruth [a foreigner, a Moabite] traveled [to walk, to journey] until they came to Bethlehem [the house of bread, a place of nourishment]. When they entered [to come, to arrive] Bethlehem, the whole city [all the people, the community] was stirred [to make a loud noise, to be excited] because of them, and the women of the city [the female inhabitants, the community] exclaimed [to say, to speak], “Can [is it possible] this be [is this really] Naomi [the one who was lost, now found]?” word study 20 “Do not [never, under no circumstances] call me Naomi [meaning pleasant or lovely], ” she replied. “Call me Mara [meaning bitter, signifying sorrow], because the Almighty [Shadday, the all-powerful One] has dealt [treated, handled] quite [exceedingly, very] bitterly [with intense suffering, pain] with me [toward me, in my direction]. word study 21 I [emphatically, as a personal testimony] went away [departed, set out] full [complete, abundant], but the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] has brought me back [returned, restored] empty [without anything, destitute]. Why [for what reason, what purpose] call me Naomi [pleasant, lovely one]? After all [considering everything, in view of this], the LORD [the Almighty, Shadday] has testified against me [spoken out, borne witness], and the Almighty [Shadday, the all-powerful One] has afflicted me [caused me to suffer, brought me trouble].” word study 22 So Naomi [the pleasant one, a woman of faith] returned from the land of Moab [a region descended from Lot] with her daughter-in-law Ruth [a Moabite woman, a foreigner] the Moabitess [from the land of Moab, a Gentile]. And they arrived in Bethlehem [the house of bread, a place of abundance] at the beginning [the start of a new season] of the barley harvest [a time of gathering, a season of reaping]. word study