Ruth
1 Now, for the time wey judges de lead* Israel, serious hunger start for the land; and one man comot from Bethʹle·hem wey dey Judah to go stay as stranger for the land* of Moʹab. E go with im wife and im two sons. 2 The name of the man na E·limʹe·lech,* im wife name na Na·oʹmi,* and the name of im two sons na Mah′lon* and Chil′i·on.* Them be Eph′ra·thah people from Beth′le·hem wey dey Judah. And them come the land of Mo′ab and stay for there.
3 After some time E·lim′e·lech wey be Na·o′mi husband, die, and na only im two sons remain for-am. 4 Later, the men marry women wey come from Mo′ab; one of the women name na Or′pah, and the other one na Ruth. Them stay for there for about ten years. 5 Then the two sons, Mah′lon and Chil′i·on, still die, so na only the woman remain, im two pikin and im husband no dey again. 6 So e start the journey to comot from the land of Mo′ab and go back with im daughter-in-law them, because e hear for Moʹab say Jehovah don remember im people and de give them food.*
7 E comot from the place wey e don de stay with im two daughter-in-law. As them de waka for road to go back to the land of Judah, 8 Na·o′mi tell im two daughter-in-law say: “Make una go back, make each of una go back to im mama house. Make Jehovah show una love wey no de fail, just as una don show this love to the men wey don die and to me. 9 Make Jehovah make each of una* to get better life* for the house of una husband.” Then e kiss them and them really cry with loud voice. 10 Them continue to tell-am say: “No, but we go follow you go and live with your people.” 11 But Na·o′mi tell them say: “Make una go back my daughters. Why una want follow me go? I fit still born sons wey fit be una husbands? 12 Make una go back my daughters, make una go because I don too old to marry. Even if I fit see husband this night and still born sons, 13 una go continue to wait for them until them grow? Una go stay and no marry because of them? No, my daughters, I de really feel bad for una, because the hand of Jehovah don dey against me.”
14 Them really cry with loud voice again, then Or′pah kiss im mother-in-law and go back. But Ruth no gree leave-am. 15 So Na·o′mi tell-am say: “See! Your sister-in-law wey be widow like you don go back to im people and im gods. Make you go back with your sister-in-law.”
16 But Ruth tell-am say: “No beg me to leave you or to stop to follow you; because where you go na there I go go, and where you sleep for night na there I go sleep for night. Your people go be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die na there I go die, and na there them go bury me. Make Jehovah punish me and add join-am if anything apart from death separate me from you.”
18 When Na·o′mi see say Ruth don make up im mind say e must follow-am, Na·oʹmi stop to force-am make e go back. 19 And the two of them continue their journey until them reach Beth′le·hem. As them just reach Beth′le·hem, the whole city start to talk about them, and the women de talk say: “Na Na·o′mi be this?” 20 E go answer the women say: “Make una no call me Na·o′mi.* Call me Ma′ra,* because the Almighty don make life bitter for me no be small. 21 My hand be dey full when I comot, but Jehovah don make me come back empty hand. Why una go call me Na·o′mi, when e be say na Jehovah dey against me, and na the Almighty don cause my problem?”
22 Na like this Na·o′mi come back from the land of Mo′ab, together with im daughter-in-law Ruth wey be Mo′ab person. Them come Beth′le·hem for the time wey people start to harvest barley.