Nawomi niŋ Ruti
1 Kiitindirilaalu la marali tiloolu la, konko baa le be keriŋ nuŋ bankoo kaŋ. Wo kamma la, kewo doo le bota Betilehemu saatewo to Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ, a niŋ a la musoo niŋ a dinkee fula, ka taa sabati Mowabi bankoo kaŋ fo waati. 2 Ñiŋ kewo too mu Elimeleki le ti, a la musoo too mu Nawomi le ti, aniŋ a dinkee fuloo fanaa toolu mu Maaloni aniŋ Kiliyoni le ti. Efurata* kaabiila moolu le mu, Betilehemu saatewo to Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ. Bituŋ ì taata Mowabi bankoo kaŋ ka tara jee.
3 Ì la taroo jee, Elimeleki meŋ mu Nawomi keemaa ti, naata baŋ. Bituŋ a tuta, a niŋ a dinkee fuloo la. 4 Wo dinkee fuloo naata Mowabi musoolu le futuu. Doo too mu Oripa le ti, doo Ruti. Ì ye sanji taŋ ñoŋ kontoo le ke jee, 5 bituŋ Maaloni niŋ Kiliyoni bee naata baŋ. Saayiŋ, Nawomi niŋ a dinkee fuloo te, aniŋ a keemaa fanaa te.
6 Kabiriŋ a ye a moyi Mowabi bankoo kaŋ ko Yaawe* la deemaaroo naata a la moolu kaŋ ne domori kuwo la karoo la, bituŋ a niŋ a bitammusoolu pareeta ka muru suwo kono, ka bo Mowabi bankoo kaŋ. 7 A niŋ a bitammusu fuloo ye jee bula teŋ ne. Kabiriŋ ì be siloo kaŋ ka seyi Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ, 8 Nawomi ko a bitammusu fuloo ye ko, “Ali bee ye seyi ali baañolu yaa. Allamaa Yaawe ye hiinoo soto ali ye, ko ali ye hiinoo soto ali la saabantee furewolu ye ñaameŋ, ì niŋ nte faŋo. 9 Allamaa Yaawe ye dahaa dii ali bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa la ali kee koteŋolu la buŋolu kono.” A ye ì sumbu. Kabiriŋ a ye ì sumbu, ì kumboota ka wuuri santo, 10 ì ko a ye ko, “Ntolu niŋ i be muru la i la moolu yaa le.”
11 Bari Nawomi ko ì ye le ko, “N dimmusoolu, ali muru suwo kono! Muŋ ne ye a tinna alitolu niŋ nte be taa? Fo nte be naa dinkewolu le soto la baŋ kotenke, mennu be naa alitolu futuu la? 12 N dimmusoolu, dukaree, ali muru suwo kono! Nte keebaayaata le ka kewo soto kotenke. Bari hani niŋ wo jikoo be n ye, niŋ ŋa kewo soto ñiŋ suutoo faŋo, ŋa dinkewolu soto a la, 13 alitolu si wolu batu noo baŋ, fo ì ye meŋ? Fo ì batoo si ali bali noo futuwo la baŋ? Ali te wo noo la, n dimmusoolu! Ñiŋ niikuyaa warata nte le kaŋ ka tambi alitolu la, kaatu Yaawe ye a koo dii n na le.”
14 Kabiriŋ a ye wo fo, ì kumboota kotenke. Wo le to Oripa ye a bitammusu sumbu, a muruta suwo kono, bari Ruti, wo balanta ka muru. 15 Nawomi ko a ye ko, “A juubee, i kansiinaa musu be muru kaŋ ka taa a la moolu yaa aniŋ a la alla kaŋ. I niŋ a ye muru ñoo la.”
16 Bari Ruti ko a ye le ko, “Kana nte marisa ka bo i bala, waraŋ ka n koo dii i la. I taata daa-wo-daa, nte be taa la jee le, aduŋ i be sabati la daa-wo-daa, m fanaa be sabati la wo le to. I la moolu be ke la n na moolu le ti, aniŋ i la Alla fanaa be ke la n na Alla le ti. 17 I faata daa-wo-daa, m be faa la wo le to, aduŋ m be baadee la jee le to. Allamaa Yaawe ye n yankankati, niŋ kuu doo ye nte niŋ ite talandi, meŋ maŋ ke saayaa ti.”
18 Kabiriŋ Nawomi ye a je ko, Ruti ye a niŋ a la taa laa a niyo le kaŋ, a ye a bula. 19 Bituŋ ì moo fuloo naata taa, fo ì futata Betilehemu. Kabiriŋ ì futata Betilehemu, saatewo bee dunta ñoo to ì la kuwo kamma la. Jee musoolu ko, “Fo ñiŋ si ke noo Nawomi ti baŋ?”
20 Nawomi naata a fo ì ye ko, “Ali kana nte kumandi Nawomi la. Ali n kumandi Mara la, kaatu Alla Tallaa ye nte niyo kuyandi le. 21 M bulu faariŋo le bota jaŋ, bari Yaawe ye m bulu kenseŋo le murundi naŋ. Ali ka nte kumandi Nawomi la muŋ ne la? Yaawe Alla Tallaa ye bataa kuwo le laa n kaŋ, a ye niikuyaa kuwo le laa nte kaŋ.”
22 Nawomi la Mowabi bankoo buloo keta wo le ñaama, a niŋ Ruti Mowabinkoo, a bitammusu. Ì la futoo Betilehemu, wo waatoo le mu baali* siimaŋ katoo datita.
Elimelech and His Family Move to Moab
1-2 Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was a famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. While they were living there, 3 Elimelech died, and Naomi was left alone with her two sons, 4 who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. About ten years later 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left all alone, without husband or sons.
Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem
6 Some time later Naomi heard that the Lord had blessed his people by giving them good crops; so she got ready to leave Moab with her daughters-in-law. 7 They started out together to go back to Judah, but on the way 8 she said to them, “Go back home and stay with your mothers. May the Lord be as good to you as you have been to me and to those who have died. 9 And may the Lord make it possible for each of you to marry again and have a home.”
So Naomi kissed them good-bye. But they started crying 10 and said to her, “No! We will go with you to your people.”
11 “You must go back, my daughters,” Naomi answered. “Why do you want to come with me? Do you think I could have sons again for you to marry? 12 Go back home, for I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and so got married tonight and had sons, 13 would you wait until they had grown up? Would this keep you from marrying someone else? No, my daughters, you know that's impossible. The Lord has turned against me, and I feel very sorry for you.”
14 Again they started crying. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home, but Ruth held on to her. 15 So Naomi said to her, “Ruth, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Go back home with her.”
16 But Ruth answered, “Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord's worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
19 They went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived, the whole town became excited, and the women there exclaimed, “Is this really Naomi?”
20 “Don't call me Naomi,” she answered; “call me Marah, because Almighty God has made my life bitter. 21 When I left here, I had plenty, but the Lord has brought me back without a thing. Why call me Naomi when the Lord Almighty has condemned me and sent me trouble?”
22 This, then, was how Naomi came back from Moab with Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the barley harvest was just beginning.
