knowing nothing about the Lord and his word. When the Lord’s word is ignored, the Lord and his rule are soon ignored and men, like Elimelech, do as they see fit, to the detriment of themselves and their families. Elimelech may have intended to live in Moab only ‘for a while’, but ‘they went to Moab and lived there’ (v. 2)—or, as it could be translated, ‘remained there’ (ESV). And Elimelech and his boys remained there in more ways than one. The account of their residence in Moab is the story of a