Ruth and Naomi

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Stories Of The Bible, Ruth and Naomi. This is Naomi, who was a Jewish woman from Bethlehem in Judah. Naomi's husband took her and her two sons to live in a country called Moab, because there was a famine in Judah, meaning there wasn't enough food for them to eat. While they were in Moab, Naomi's husband died, and her sons married two Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. But then Naomi's sons died, leaving Naomi, Orpah and Ruth alone. Naomi heard that God had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops for food again. Huh, let's go. So Naomi took her two daughters-in-law and set out for Judah.

On the way, Naomi told her daughters-in-law to go back to their mother's homes. They all cried, and then Ruth and Orpah told Naomi that they wanted to go with her to her people. But Naomi told them to go home and marry other men. They all cried again, and Orpah said goodbye.

Ruth clung tightly to Naomi, though. Naomi told her that she should go like Orpah did. But Ruth said, Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. When Naomi saw that Ruth was set on going with her, she said nothing more.

So Ruth and Naomi went back to Judah. When the people in Bethlehem saw Naomi, they were excited. Hey, Naomi. But Naomi said, Call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.

When Ruth and Naomi returned, it was harvest time in Bethlehem. Ruth went to gather grain in the field of a man named Boaz.

Boaz treated Ruth with kindness and made sure that she and Naomi had food from the fields. Naomi heard of this and told Ruth that Boaz was a close relative of Naomi's husband. So, he could be her husband.

Ruth went to Boaz and told him that he was her family's redeemer. Oh, wow. Okay. Boaz then put everything in order to take Ruth as his wife. Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed. Naomi cared for Obed as if he were her own. Obed went on to have a son of his own named Jesse. And he had a son named David, who would be the great king of Israel, who defeated a giant named Goliath. And many, many years later, Ruth and Boaz's descendants would include Jesus. Hey-O! The Savior of the World.