1 N ow it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

Nos dias em que os juízes governavam, houve uma fome na terra; pelo que um homem de Belém de Judá saiu a peregrinar no país de Moabe, ele, sua mulher, e seus dois filhos.

2 T he name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

Chamava-se este homem Elimeleque, e sua mulher Noêmi, e seus dois filhos se chamavam Malom e Quiliom; eram efrateus, de Belém de Judá. Tendo entrado no país de Moabe, ficaram ali.

3 T hen Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

E morreu Elimeleque, marido de Noêmi; e ficou ela com os seus dois filhos,

4 T hey took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

os quais se casaram com mulheres moabitas; uma destas se chamava Orfa, e a outra Rute; e moraram ali quase dez anos.

5 T hen both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.

E morreram também os dois, Malom e Quiliom, ficando assim a mulher desamparada de seus dois filhos e de seu marido.

6 T hen she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food.

Então se levantou ela com as suas noras, para voltar do país de Moabe, porquanto nessa terra tinha ouvido que e Senhor havia visitado o seu povo, dando-lhe pão.

7 S o she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Pelo que saiu de lugar onde estava, e com ela as duas noras. Indo elas caminhando para voltarem para a terra de Judá,

8 A nd 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.

disse Noêmi

9 M ay the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

O Senhor vos dê que acheis descanso cada uma em casa de seu marido. Quando as beijou, porém, levantaram a vóz e choraram.

10 A nd they said to her, “ No, but we will surely return with you to your people.”

E disseram-lhe: Certamente voltaremos contigo para o teu povo.

11 B ut Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Noêmi, porém, respondeu: Voltai, minhas filhas; porque ireis comigo? Tenho eu ainda filhos no meu ventre, para que vos viessem a ser maridos?

12 R eturn, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,

Voltai, filhas minhas; ide-vos, porque já sou velha demais para me casar. Ainda quando eu dissesse: Tenho esperança; ainda que esta noite tivesse marido e ainda viesse a ter filhos.

13 w ould you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.” Ruth’s Loyalty

esperá-los-íeis até que viessem a ser grandes? deter-vos-íeis por eles, sem tomardes marido? Não, filhas minhas, porque mais amargo me é a mim do que a vós mesmas; porquanto a mão do Senhor se descarregou contra mim.

14 A nd they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Então levantaram a voz, e tornaram a chorar; e Orfa beijou a sua sogra, porém Rute se apegou a ela.

15 T hen she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

Pelo que disse Noêmi: Eis que tua concunhada voltou para o seu povo e para os seus deuses; volta também tu após a tua concunhada.

16 B ut Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back 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.

Respondeu, porém, Rute: Não me instes a que te abandone e deixe de seguir-te. Porque aonde quer que tu fores, irei eu; e onde quer que pousares, ali pousarei eu; o teu povo será o meu povo, o teu Deus será o meu Deus.

17 W here you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

Onde quer que morreres, morrerei eu, e ali serei sepultada. Assim me faça o Senhor, e outro tanto, se outra coisa que não seja a morte me separar de ti.

18 W hen she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Vendo Noêmi que de todo estava resolvida a ir com ela, deixou de lhe falar nisso.

19 S o they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”

Assim, pois, foram-se ambas, até que chegaram a Belém. E sucedeu que, ao entrarem em Belém, toda a cidade se comoveu por causa delas, e as mulheres perguntavam: É esta, porventura, Noêmi?

20 S he said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

Ela, porém, lhes respondeu: Não me chameis Noêmi; chamai-me Mara, porque o Todo-Poderoso me encheu de amargura.

21 I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

Cheia parti, porém vazia o Senhor me fez tornar. Por que, pois, me chamais Noêmi, visto que o Senhor testemunhou contra mim, e o Todo-Poderoso me afligiu?

22 S o Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Assim Noêmi voltou, e com ela Rute, a moabita, sua nora, que veio do país de Moabe; e chegaram a Belém no principio da sega da cevada.