1 And it cometh to pass, in the days of the judging of the judges, that there is a famine in the land, and there goeth a man from Beth-Lehem-Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man [is] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth-Lehem-Judah ; and they come into the fields of Moab, and are there.
3 And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth, and she is left, she and her two sons ;
4 and they take to them wives, Moabitesses : the name of the one [is] Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth ; and they dwell there about ten years.
5 And they die also, both of them — Mahlon and Chilion — and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.
Note · Ruth 1.1–5
Le récit des pertes ne fournit pas leur explication morale
L’époque des juges situe l’histoire, sans lui donner une date précise dans leur succession. La famille cherche du pain hors de son pays, puis les décès sont rapportés sobrement. Le narrateur n’accuse ni Élimélek d’avoir manqué de foi ni les femmes moabites d’avoir attiré le malheur. Ces explications ne doivent pas être ajoutées pour rendre la souffrance plus facile à classer.
6 And she riseth, she and her daughters-in-law, and turneth back from the fields of Moab, for she hath heard in the fields of Moab that God hath looked after His people, — to give to them bread.
7 And she goeth out from the place where she hath been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they go in the way to turn back unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi saith to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go, turn back, each to the house of her mother ; Jehovah doth with you kindness as ye have done with the dead, and with me ;
9 Jehovah doth grant to you, and find ye rest each in the house of her husband ;' and she kisseth them, and they lift up their voice and weep.
10 And they say to her, 'Surely with thee we go back to thy people.'
11 And Naomi saith, 'Turn back, my daughters ; why do ye go with me ? are there yet to me sons in my bowels that they have been to you for husbands ?
12 Turn back, my daughters, go, for I am too aged to be to a husband ; though I had said, There is for me hope, also, I have been to-night to a husband, and also I have borne sons :
13 for them do ye wait till that they grow up ? for them do ye shut yourselves up, not to be to a husband ? nay, my daughters, for more bitter to me than to you, for the hand of Jehovah hath gone out against me.'
14 And they lift up their voice, and weep again, and Orpah kisseth her mother-in-law, and Ruth hath cleaved to her.
Note · Ruth 1.6–14
Naomi reconnaît la bonté de ses deux belles-filles
Elle les bénit pour leur fidélité envers les morts et envers elle, puis les invite à retourner. Son argument sur d’éventuels fils montre l’impasse d’un avenir pensé dans les structures familiales de son temps. Orpa embrasse Naomi et suit le chemin proposé : le texte ne la condamne pas comme une femme sans amour ou sans fidélité.
15 And she saith, 'Lo, thy sister-in-law hath turned back unto her people, and unto her god, turn thou back after thy sister-in-law.'
16 And Ruth saith, 'Urge me not to leave thee — to turn back from after thee ; for whither thou goest I go, and where thou lodgest I lodge ; thy people [is] my people, and thy God my God.
17 Where thou diest I die, and there I am buried ; thus doth Jehovah to me, and thus doth He add — for death itself doth part between me and thee.'
18 And she seeth that she is strengthening herself to go with her, and she ceaseth to speak unto her ;
Note · Ruth 1.15–18
Ruth engage sa vie envers Naomi, son peuple et son Dieu
Sa réponse dépasse la promesse d’un trajet partagé. Demeure, appartenance, mort et sépulture disent un lien durable. Cette parole est adressée à une belle-mère, même si elle est souvent reprise lors de mariages. Son engagement libre dans le récit ne devient pas une règle obligeant toute personne à rester dans une relation dangereuse ni à renoncer à ses propres possibilités de vie.
19 and they go both of them till their coming in to Beth-Lehem ; and it cometh to pass at their coming in to Beth-Lehem, that all the city is moved at them, and they say, 'Is this Naomi ?'
20 And she saith unto them, 'Call me not Naomi ; call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,
21 I went out full, and empty hath Jehovah brought me back, why do ye call me Naomi, and Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath done evil to me ?'
22 And Naomi turneth back, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who hath turned back from the fields of Moab, and they have come in to Beth-Lehem at the commencement of barley-harvest.
Note · Ruth 1.19–22
L’amertume est entendue avant toute résolution
Naomi demande un nom qui exprime son affliction et attribue son malheur à Dieu. C’est sa parole dans le deuil ; le narrateur ne révèle pas une faute cachée qui lui donnerait raison sur une condamnation personnelle. Ruth est pourtant à ses côtés, et la moisson commence. Ces ouvertures discrètes ne rendent ni ses pertes imaginaires ni son chagrin illégitime.