15. Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her own people and her own gods. You should do the same.”
16. But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you! Don’t force me to go back to my own people. Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.
17. Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. I ask the Lord to punish me if I don’t keep this promise: Only death will separate us.”
18. Naomi saw that Ruth wanted very much to go with her. So Naomi stopped arguing with her.
19. Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When the two women entered Bethlehem, all the people were very excited. They said, “Is this Naomi?”
20. But Naomi told the people, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Marah. Use this name because God All-Powerful has made my life very sad.
21. I had everything I wanted when I left, but now, the Lord brings me home with nothing. The Lord has made me sad, so why should you call me ‘Happy’? God All-Powerful has given much trouble to me.”
22. So Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabite, came back from the hill country of Moab. These two women came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.