In the days of one of the judges, when the judges ruled, there came a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem Juda, went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

In diebus unius judicis, quando judices præerant, facta est fames in terra. Abiitque homo de Bethlehem Juda, ut peregrinaretur in regione Moabitide cum uxore sua ac duobus liberis.

In the old days, when Israel was ruled by judges, there was a man of Bethlehem-Juda that took his wife and his two sons to live in the Moabite country, to escape from a famine.

He was named Elimelech, and his wife, Noemi: and his two sons, the one Mahalon, and the other Chelion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Juda. And entering into the country of Moab, they abode there.

Ipse vocabatur Elimelech, et uxor ejus Noëmi: et duo filii, alter Mahalon, et alter Chelion, Ephrathæi de Bethlehem Juda. Ingressique regionem Moabitidem, morabantur ibi.

There, in Moab, these Ephrathites from Bethlehem-Juda continued to dwell, Elimelech, and his wife Noemi, and his two sons Mahalon and Chelion;

And Elimelech the husband of Noemi died: and she remained with her sons.

Et mortuus est Elimelech maritus Noëmi: remansitque ipsa cum filiis.

there Elimelech died, and Noemi was left a widow. But still she would be with her sons,

And they took wives of the women of Moab, of which one was called Orpha, and the other Ruth. And they dwelt there ten years.

Qui acceperunt uxores Moabitidas, quarum una vocabatur Orpha, altera vero Ruth. Manseruntque ibi decem annis,

who had now married wives of Moabite race, one called Orpha and the other Ruth. So ten years passed,

And they both died, to wit, Mahalon and Chelion: and the woman was left alone, having lost both her sons and her husband.

et ambo mortui sunt, Mahalon videlicet et Chelion: remansitque mulier orbata duobus liberis ac marito.

and then Mahalon and Chelion both died. And now, both widowed and childless,

And she arose to go from the land of Moab to her own country with both her daughters in law: for she had heard that the Lord had looked upon his people, and had given them food.

Et surrexit ut in patriam pergeret cum utraque nuru sua de regione Moabitide: audierat enim quod respexisset Dominus populum suum, et dedisset eis escas.

she bade farewell to Moab and set out, with her two daughters-in-law, on the journey home; the Lord had been merciful to his people, she was told, and there was food to be had once more.

Wherefore she went forth out of the place of her sojournment, with both her daughters in law: and being now in the way to return into the land of Juda,

Egressa est itaque de loco peregrinationis suæ, cum utraque nuru: et jam in via revertendi posita in terram Juda,

Thus Noemi left her dwelling-place; and when she set foot on the road that led to the domain of Juda, she turned to her companions,

She said to them: Go ye home to your mothers: the Lord deal mercifully with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

dixit ad eas: Ite in domum matris vestræ: faciat vobiscum Dominus misericordiam, sicut fecistis cum mortuis, et mecum.

and bade either go back to her own mother’s house; May the Lord shew kindness to you, she said, as you have shewn kindness to the memory of the dead, and to me;

May he grant you to find rest in the houses of the husbands which you shall take. And she kissed them. And they lifted up their voice and began to weep,

Det vobis invenire requiem in domibus virorum quos sortituræ estis. Et osculata est eas. Quæ elevata voce flere cœperunt,

may you live at ease with new husbands. And with that she gave them a parting kiss. But no, they wept aloud,

And to say: We will go on with thee to thy people.

et dicere: Tecum pergemus ad populum tuum.

and declared they would go on in her company, to the home of her own people.

But she answered them: Return, my daughters: why come ye with me? have I any more sons in my womb, that you may hope for husbands of me?

Quibus illa respondit: Revertimini, filiæ meæ, cur venitis mecum? num ultra habeo filios in utero meo, ut viros ex me sperare possitis?

Come with me, my daughters? she answered. Nay, you must go back. I have no more sons in my womb to wed you;

Return again, my daughters, and go your ways: for I am now spent with age, and not fit for wedlock. Although I might conceive this night, and bear children,

Revertimini, filiæ meæ, et abite: jam enim senectute confecta sum, nec apta vinculo conjugali: etiamsi possem hac nocte concipere, et parere filios,

go back, daughters, and leave me; I am an old woman, past the age for marrying. Though I should conceive this very night, and bear sons,

If you would wait till they were grown up, and come to man’s estate, you would be old women before you marry. Do not so, my daughters, I beseech you: for I am grieved the more for your distress, and the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

si eos expectare velitis donec crescant, et annos pubertatis impleant, ante eritis vetulæ quam nubatis. Nolite, quæso, filiæ meæ: quia vestra angustia magis me premit, et egressa est manus Domini contra me.

it would be weary waiting for you till they should be grown to manhood; you would be old women too, long before your wedding day. Enough of this, daughters; it is your hard lot that makes it weigh heavy on me, this burden the Lord has given me to bear.

And they lifted up their voice, and began to weep again: Orpha kissed her mother in law and returned: Ruth stuck close to her mother in law.

Elevata igitur voce, rursum flere cœperunt: Orpha osculata est socrum, ac reversa est; Ruth adhæsit socrui suæ:

At this, they wept louder than ever; but Orpha kissed her mother-in-law and went back; Ruth would not leave her side.

And Noemi said to her: Behold thy kinswoman is returned to her people, and to her gods, go thou with her.

cui dixit Noëmi: En reversa est cognata tua ad populum suum, et ad deos suos, vade cum ea.

Here is thy sister-in-law gone back, Noemi said, back to her own people and the gods they worship; do thou, too, go with her.

She answered: Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

Quæ respondit: Ne adverseris mihi ut relinquam te et abeam: quocumque enim perrexeris, pergam, et ubi morata fueris, et ego pariter morabor. Populus tuus populus meus, et Deus tuus Deus meus.

Nay, said Ruth, do not press me to go back and leave thee. I mean to go where thou goest, and dwell where thou dwellest; thy people shall be my people, thy God my God;

The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee.

Quæ te terra morientem susceperit, in ea moriar: ibique locum accipiam sepulturæ. Hæc mihi faciat Dominus, et hæc addat, si non sola mors me et te separaverit.

whatever earth closes over thee when thou diest shall be my place of death and burial. Due meed of punishment the Lord give me, and more than due, if aught but death part thee and me.

Then Noemi, seeing that Ruth was steadfastly determined to go with her, would not be against it, nor persuade her any more to return to her friends:

Videns ergo Noëmi quod obstinato animo Ruth decrevisset secum pergere, adversari noluit, nec ad suos ultra reditum persuadere:

When she found Ruth so resolved to bear her company, Noemi would cross her no longer, nor bid her return home;

So they went together and came to Bethlehem. And when they were come into the city, the report was quickly spread among all: and the women said: This is that Noemi.

profectæque sunt simul, et venerunt in Bethlehem. Quibus urbem ingressis, velox apud cunctos fama percrebruit: dicebantque mulieres: Hæc est illa Noëmi.

together they went on, and at last reached Bethlehem. They had scarce entered the city gate before the tale went round, and all the gossips were saying, Why, it is Noemi.

But she said to them: Call me not Noemi, (that is, beautiful,) but call me Mara, (that is, bitter,) for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.

Quibus ait: Ne vocetis me Noëmi (id est, pulchram), sed vocate me Mara (id est, amaram), quia amaritudine valde replevit me Omnipotens.

Call me no longer, she said, by that name of delight; call me Mara, the unhappy one. Has not an almighty hand filled my cup with bitterness?

I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me back empty. Why then do you call me Noemi, whom the Lord hath humbled and the Almighty hath afflicted?

Egressa sum plena, et vacuam reduxit me Dominus. Cur ergo vocatis me Noëmi, quam Dominus humiliavit, et afflixit Omnipotens?

Rich in blessings I left my home, and the Lord has brought me back destitute. So humbled by the Lord’s hand, visited by the Almighty with such calamity, and will you call me Noemi still?

So Noemi came with Ruth the Moabitess her daughter in law, from the land of her sojournment: and returned into Bethlehem, in the beginning of the barley harvest.

Venit ergo Noëmi cum Ruth Moabitide nuru sua, de terra peregrinationis suæ: ac reversa est in Bethlehem, quando primum hordea metebantur.

Thus it was that Noemi returned from the land of her adoption, with her daughter-in-law Ruth, that was Moabite born. They were just beginning to cut the barley in the fields, when she came back to her home at Bethlehem.