1-2No tempo em que os juízes governavam o povo de Israel, houve um homem efrateu de Belém de Judá chamado Elimeleque que deixou a sua terra, pois havia muita fome e emigrou para Moabe. Acompanharam-no a mulher, Noemi, e os dois filhos do casal, Malom e Quiliom.3Elimeleque faleceu naquela terra e Noemi ficou sozinha com os dois rapazes.4Entretanto, estes casaram com duas raparigas de Moabe, Orfa e Rute. Depois de ali terem vivido cerca de 10 anos,5tanto Malom como Quiliom morreram e Noemi viu-se de novo desamparada, sem marido e sem filhos.
Noemi regressa a Belém com Rute
6Por isso, decidiu regressar a Israel na companhia das noras, pois tinha ouvido que o SENHOR abençoara o seu povo, dando-lhe novamente boas colheitas.7Na companhia das duas noras, deixou o lugar onde tinham estado a viver e tomaram o caminho que as conduziria de volta a Judá.8Já a caminho resolveu dizer às noras: “Não preferem antes voltar para as vossas famílias em vez de me acompanharem? Se o fizerem, que o SENHOR vos recompense pela vossa bondade com que trataram os vossos falecidos maridos e a mim mesma.9Que ele vos abençoe, preparando-vos outro casamento feliz!” E abraçou-as e beijou-as e todas choraram de emoção.10“Não”, diziam as moças. “Nós vamos viver contigo junto do teu povo.”11Porém, Noemi insistiu: “Fariam melhor em voltar para o vosso povo. Sabem bem que já não há hipótese de eu vir a ter filhos que crescessem e casassem convosco.12Não, minhas filhas, voltem para as vossas casas, porque já não tenho idade para tornar a casar. E mesmo que isso acontecesse e que esta mesma noite eu concebesse e viesse a ter filhos,13iriam esperar tanto tempo até que eles fossem crescidos? Não, com certeza que não. Oh! Como eu lamento que o SENHOR me tenha castigado assim! A minha amargura é maior do que a vossa!”14E estiveram a chorar algum tempo até que Orfa, abraçando-se à sogra, decidiu dizer-lhes adeus e regressar à casa paterna. No entanto, Rute foi inflexível e quis ficar com Noemi.15“Vê”, disse-lhe Noemi, “a tua cunhada já se foi embora para junto da sua família e dos seus deuses. Faz tu também o mesmo.”16Mas Rute respondeu-lhe: “Não me forces a deixar-te. Porque eu irei para onde tu fores; onde passares a viver, aí eu também viverei; o teu povo é o meu e o teu Deus é o meu Deus.17Quero vir a morrer onde tu morreres e ficar aí sepultada. Que o SENHOR me castigue e faça aquilo que quiser se houver alguma coisa, a não ser a morte, que nos separe.”18Quando Noemi viu que Rute tinha tomado uma decisão firme e que nada a podia demover, não insistiu mais.19Então ambas vieram para Belém. A povoação inteira comoveu-se à sua chegada. “Mas é mesmo Noemi?”, perguntavam as mulheres.20Ela respondia: “Não me chamem mais Noemi (agradável), mas sim Mara (amargurada), porque o Todo-Poderoso me tem afligido muito.21Parti cheia e regresso vazia. Porque haveriam de chamar-me Noemi, quando o SENHOR parece ter-se desviado de mim e me trouxe tamanha calamidade?”22O regresso delas a Belém, vindas de Moabe, deu-se no princípio da colheita da cevada.
1In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. (Gn 12:10; Gn 26:1; Gn 43:1; Jz 2:16; Jz 17:7; 2 Rs 8:1)2The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. (Gn 35:19)3But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.4These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years,5and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi
6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. (Ex 3:16; Ex 4:31; Sl 132:15; Lc 1:68)7So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.8But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. (Js 2:12; Js 2:14; Jz 1:24; Rt 1:5; Rt 2:20)9The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. (Rt 3:1)10And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”11But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? (Gn 38:11; Dt 25:5)12Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons,13would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” (Jz 2:15; Jó 19:21; Sl 32:4; Sl 38:2; Sl 39:10)14Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.15And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” (Jz 11:24; 1 Rs 11:7; Jr 48:7; Jr 48:13; Jr 48:46)16But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. (Rt 2:11)17Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (1 Sm 3:17; 1 Sm 25:22; 2 Sm 19:13; 1 Rs 2:23)18And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. (At 21:14)
Naomi and Ruth Return
19So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” (Mt 21:10)20She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;[1] call me Mara,[2] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. (Ex 15:23)21I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (Jó 1:21)22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. (Rt 2:23; 2 Sm 21:9)