Ruth 1:1 - Forerunner Commentary

Ruth 1:1

Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when ^athe judges ruled, that there was ^ba famine in the land. And a certain man of ^cBethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of ^dMoab, he and his wife and his two sons.

2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—^aEphrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went ^bto the country of Moab and remained there.

3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.

4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they¹ dwelt there about ten years.

5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had ^avisited His people by ^bgiving them bread.

7 Therefore she went out 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.

8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ^a“Go, return each to her mother’s house. ^bThe Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt ^cwith the dead and with me.

9 The Lord grant that you may find ^arest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, ^athat they may be your husbands?

12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that ^athe hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”

14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth ^aclung to her.

15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to ^aher people and to her gods; ^breturn after your sister-in-law.”

16 But Ruth said:
^a“Entreat¹ me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
^bYour people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.

17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
^aThe Lord do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”

18 ^aWhen she saw that she¹ was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that ^aall the city was excited because of them; and the women said, ^b“Is this Naomi?”

Verse Comparison: Ruth 1:1

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American Standard Version
And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Amplified® Bible
IN THE days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons.

Contemporary English Version
Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the tribe of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed, they moved to the country of Moab. And while they were there,

Darby English Version
And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man went from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Good News Bible
Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was a famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. While they were living there,

King James Version
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

New American Standard Bible
Now 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.

New International Version
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

New King James Version
Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that a famine arose 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.

Revised Standard Version
In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, in the days of the judging of the judges, that there is a famine in the land, and there goeth a man from Beth-Lehem-Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

New English Translation
During the time of the judges¹ there was a famine in the land of Judah.² So a man from Bethlehem³ in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner⁴ in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.⁵

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