¹ UNawomi wayenesihlobo somyeni wakhe , umuntu ocebileyo , owomndeni ka-Elimeleki, igama lakhe linguBowazi. ² URuthe wakwaMowabi wathi kuNawomi : Mangihambe, ngiye ensimini , ngikhothoze ezikhwetshini emva kwalowo engiyakufumana umusa emehlweni akhe. Wathi kuye: Hamba, ndodakazi yami. ³ Wahamba, waya wakhothoza ensimini emva kwabavuni ; kwase kwenzeka ukuba afike esiqeshini sensimu sikaBowazi womndeni ka-Elimeleki. ⁴ Bheka, uBowazi wafika evela eBetlehema , wathi kwabavunayo : UJehova makabe nani. Bathi kuye: UJehova makakubusise. ⁵ Wayesethi uBowazi encekwini yakhe eyayibekwe phezu kwabavuni : Ngekabani le ntombazana na? ⁶ Inceku eyayibekwe phezu kwabavuni yaphendula yathi : Kuyintombazana yakwaMowabi ebuye noNawomi ezweni lakwaMowabi; ⁷ ithe: Ake ngikhothoze , ngibuthe ezithungwini emva kwabavuni . Selokhu ifikile, iqhubekile kusukela ekuseni kuze kube manje, ihlale kancane endlini kuphela. ⁸ UBowazi wayesethi kuRuthe : Angithi uyezwa, ndodakazi yami ? Ungayi ukukhothoza kwenye insimu , futhi ungasuki lapha , kepha namathela kuwo amantombazana ami lapha. ⁹ Amehlo akho mawabe sensimini ayivunayo , uwalandele; angithi ngiyalile abafana ukuba bangakuthinti na ? Nxa womile, yana ezitsheni, uphuze lokho abakukhileyo abafana. ¹⁰ Wayesewa ngobuso bakhe , wakhothamela emhlabathini , wathi kuye : Ngifumaneleni umusa emehlweni akho ukuba unginake , lokhu ngingowezizwe, na? ¹¹ UBowazi waphendula, wathi kuye: Kubikiwe kimi konke omenzele khona unyokozala selokhu afa umyeni wakho nokuthi ushiyile uyihlo nonyoko nezwe lokuzalwa kwakho, weza kubantu ongabazanga ngaphambili. ¹² UJehova makakuvuze ngomsebenzi wakho , uphiwe umvuzo opheleleyo nguJehova uNkulunkulu ka -Israyeli oze ukuba uphephele phansi kwamaphiko akhe. ¹³ Wathi: Mangifumane umusa emehlweni akho, nkosi, ngokuba ungiduduzile nangokuba ukhulume kahle kuyo incekukazi yakho , noma ngingenjengenye yezincekukazi zakho. ¹⁴ Ngesikhathi sokudla uBowazi wathi kuye : Woza lapha , udle isinkwa , ugcobhoze ucezu lwa kho kuviniga . Wahlala eceleni kwabavuni , wamnika utshwele, wadla wasutha, washiya phansi. ¹⁵ Esesukile ekukhothozeni uBowazi wayala abafana bakhe , wathi: Makakhothoze nasezithungwini, ningamkhathazi. ¹⁶ Anoke nimkhiphele nokuthile ezithungwini , nikushiye ukuba akukhothoze, ningamsoli. ¹⁷ Wakhothoza-ke ensimini kwaze kwahlwa ; wakubhula lokho abekukhothozile, kwakungathi i-efa lebhali. ¹⁸ Wakuthatha, wangena emzini ; uninazala wabona lokho abekukhothozile ; wakhipha, wamnika lokho akushiyile esesuthile. ¹⁹ Uninazala wathi kuye : Ukhothozephi namuhla na ? Usebenzephi? Makabusiswe lowo okunakileyo . Wamtshela uninazala ukuthi ubesebenza kubani, wathi: Igama lomuntu engisebenzile kuye namuhla linguBowazi. ²⁰ UNawomi wathi kumalokazana wakhe : Makabusiswe nguJehova ongayekanga umusa wakhe kwabaphilileyo nakwabafileyo . UNawomi wathi kuye: Lowo muntu uyisihlobo sethu, ungowabahlengi bethu. ²¹ URuthe wakwaMowabi wathi : Yebo, wathi kimi : Wonamathela kubafana bami, baze baqede konke ukuvuna kwami. ²² UNawomi wayesethi kuRuthe umalokazana wakhe: Kuhle, ndodakazi yami, ukuba uphume namantombazana akhe, ungafikelwa kwenye insimu. ²³ Wayesenamathela-ke kuwo amantombazana kaBowazi ukukhothoza kwaze kwaba sekugcineni kokuvunwa kwebhali nokukakolweni ; wahlala-ke noninazala.