4. Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about 10 years,
5. both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two children and without her husband.
6. She and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to His people’s need by providing them food.
7. She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.
8. She said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show faithful love to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.
9. May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the house of your new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly.
10. “No,” they said to her. “We will go with you to your people.”
11. But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands?
12. Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,
13. would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.”
14. Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15. Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”
16. But Ruth replied:Do not persuade me to leave youor go back and not follow you.For wherever you go, I will go,and wherever you live, I will live;your people will be my people,and your God will be my God.