URute 1

¹Ke kaloku kwathi ngemihla yokulawula kwabagwebi, kwabakho indlala elizweni. Yahamba indoda yaseBhetelehem yakwaYuda, yaza yaphambukela elizweni lakwaMowabhi, yona nomkayo, noonyana bayo bobabini.

²Ke igama laloo ndoda lalinguElimeleki, igama lomkayo linguNahomi; amagama oonyana bayo babengooMalon noKiliyon, bengamaEfrata aseBhetelehem yakwaYuda. Baya ke elizweni lakwaMowabhi, baba khona.

³Wafa uElimeleki indoda kaNahomi; washiywa ke yena noonyana bakhe bobabini.

⁴Bazeka abafazi abangamaMowabhikazi; igama lomnye lalinguOrpa, igama lomnye lalinguRute; bahlala khona iminyaka eseshumini.

⁵Bafa kananjalo bobabini ooMalon noKiliyon; washiywa ke loo mfazi ngoonyana bakhe bobabini nayindoda yakhe.

⁶Wesuka yena noomolokazana bakhe, ebuya elizweni lakwaMowabhi; ngokuba weva eselizweni lakwaMowabhi, ukuba uYehova ubavelele abantu bakhe ngokubanika isonka.

⁷Waphuma kuloo ndawo abekuyo, enoomolokazana bakhe bobabini; wahamba ngendlela ebuyela ezweni lakwaYuda.

⁸Wathi uNahomi koomolokazana bakhe bobabini, Hambani, nibuyele elowo endlwini yonina; uYehova makanenzele inceba, njengoko nenze ngako kubafi nakum.

⁹UYehova makaninike nifumane indawo yokuphumla, elowo endlwini yendoda yakhe. Wabanga; baliphakamisa ilizwi labo, balila.

¹⁰Bathi kuye, Hayi, siya kubuyela nawe kubantu bakowenu.

¹¹Wathi uNahomi, Buyani, zintombi zam; kungani na ukuba nihambe nam? Ndisenoonyana yini na embilinini wam, ukuze babe ngamadoda kuni?

¹²Buyani, zintombi zam; hambani, ngokuba sendikwaluphalele ukuba nendoda. Khona ukuba ndibe ndisithi, Ndisenethemba, nokuba bendithe ndaba ngonendoda ngobu busuku, nokuba bendithe ndazala oonyana,

¹³beniya kuthi ngenxa yoko nilinde bade bakhule, yini na? Beniya kuthi ngenxa yoko nizibambe ningabi namadoda, yini na? Hayi, zintombi zam; ngokuba kukrakra kunene kum ngenxa yenu, kuba isandla sikaYehova siphumelene nam.

¹⁴Baliphakamisa ilizwi labo, babuya balila. UOrpa wamanga uninazala; ke yena uRute wanamathela kuye.

¹⁵Wathi yena, Uyabona, umkhuluwakazi wakho ubuyele kubantu bakowabo, nakoothixo bakowabo; buya nawe, ulandele umkhuluwakazi wakho.

¹⁶Wathi uRute, Musa akundibongoza ngokuthi mandikushiye, ndibuye, ndingakulandeli; ngokuba apho uya khona, ndiya kuya nam; apho uya kuthi vu khona, ndiya kuthi vu khona; abantu bakowenu baya kuba ngabantu bam, uThixo wakho abe nguThixo wam;

¹⁷apho ufela khona, ndiya kufela khona, ndingcwatyelwe khona. Makenjenje uYehova kum, aphinde ukwenjenje: kukufa kodwa okuya kundahlula nawe.

¹⁸Wabona ukuba uzimisele ukuhamba naye, wayeka ukuthetha kuye.

¹⁹Bahamba ke bobabini, bada bafika eBhetelehem. Kwathi, xa bangenayo eBhetelehem, wazamazama wonke umzi ngenxa yabo, bathi, NguNahomi na lo?

²⁰Wathi kubo, Musani ukuthi ndinguNahomi; yithini ndinguMara, ngokuba uSomandla undenze ndakrakra kunene.

²¹Ndemka mna ndizele; ke uYehova undibuyisa ndilambatha. Yini na ukuba nithi ndinguNahomi; uYehova engqinile nje ngam, uSomandla endenzele ububi nje.

²²Wabuya ke uNahomi enoRute umMowabhikazi, umolokazana wakhe, owabuya elizweni lakwaMowabhi; bafika bona eBhetelehem ekuqalekeni kokuvunwa kwerhasi.