Ruth 1:1–7

Elimelech Takes His Family to Live in Moab

1 And it happened in the days when ⌊the judges ruled⌋,a there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem of Judah went ⌊to reside⌋b in the countryside of Moab—he and his wife and his two sons. 2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. And they went to the countryside of Moab and remained there.

3 But Elimelech the husband of Naomi died and she was left behind with ⌊her two sons⌋.c 4 And ⌊they took⌋d for themselves Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 But ⌊both⌋e Mahlon and Kilion died, and the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

6 And she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the countryside of Moab, because she had heard in the countryside of Moab that Yahweh had ⌊come to the aid of⌋f his people to give food to them. 7 So she set out from the place ⌊where she was⌋g and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.