Naomi

The man's name was Elimelekh, his wife's name was Na'omi, and his two sons were named Machlon and Kilyon; they were Efratim from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah. They arrived in the plain of Mo'av and settled there.

Elimelekh, Na'omi's husband, died; and she was left, she and her two sons.

Na'omi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Each of you, go back to your mother's house. May ADONAI show grace to you, as you did to those who died and to me.

Na'omi said, "Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb who could become your husbands?

So the two of them went on until they came to Beit-Lechem. When they arrived in Beit-Lechem, the whole city was stirred with excitement over them. The women asked, "Can this be Na'omi?"

"Don't call me Na'omi [pleasant]," she answered them; "call me Marah [bitter], because Shaddai has made my life very bitter.

I went out full, and ADONAI has brought me back empty. Why call me Na'omi? ADONAI has testified against me, Shaddai has afflicted me."

This is how Na'omi returned, with Rut the woman from Mo'av, her daughter-in-law, accompanying her from the plain of Mo'av. They arrived in Beit-Lechem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Na'omi had a relative on her husband's side, a prominent and wealthy member of Elimelekh's clan, whose name was Bo'az.

Rut the woman from Mo'av said to Na'omi, "Let me go into the field and glean ears of grain behind anyone who will allow me to." She answered her, "Go, my daughter."

The servant supervising the reapers answered, "She's a girl from Mo'av who returned with Na'omi from the plain of Mo'av.

Na'omi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by ADONAI, who has never stopped showing grace, neither to the living nor to the dead." Na'omi also told her, "The man is closely related to us; he's one of our redeeming kinsmen."

Na'omi said to Rut her daughter-in-law, "It's good, my daughter, for you to keep going out with his girls; so that you won't encounter hostility in some other field."

Na'omi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I should be seeking security for you; so that things will go well with you.

Then he said to the redeeming kinsman, "The parcel of land which used to belong to our relative Elimelekh is being offered for sale by Na'omi, who has returned from the plain of Mo'av.

Then Bo'az said, "The same day you buy the field from Na'omi, you must also buy Rut the woman from Mo'av, the wife of the deceased [son], in order to raise up in the name of the deceased an heir for his property."

Bo'az addressed the leaders and all the people: "You are witnesses today that I am purchasing from Na'omi all that belonged to Elimelekh and all that belonged to Kilyon and Machlon.

Then the women said to Na'omi, "Blessed be ADONAI, who today has provided you a redeemer! May his name be renowned in Isra'el.

Na'omi took the child, laid it on her breast and became its nurse.

The women who were her neighbors gave it a name; they said, "A son has been born to Na'omi," and called it 'Oved. He was the father of Yishai the father of David.