URuthi 4

4 ¹UBhowazi wenyukela esangweni ledolobha wahlala phansi. Kwathi lapho kudlula umhlengi womndeni ayekhulume ngaye, uBhowazi wathi: “Woza uhlale lapha, mngane.” Wafika wahlala phansi. ²Wabe esethatha amadoda amadala edolobha ayishumi wathi: “Hlalani phansi lapha.” Ahlala phansi. ³Wathi kumhlengi womndeni: “UNawomi, obuyile ezweni lakwaMowabi, uthengisa isiqephu somhlaba esasingesomfowethu u-Elimeleki. ⁴Ngakho nganquma ukukutshela: wuthenge phambi kwalaba abahlezi lapha naphambi kwamadoda amadala abantu bakithi. Uma uzowuhlenga, wuhlenge. Uma kungenjalo, ngitshele ukuze ngazi, ngokuba akekho ongawuhlenga ngaphandle kwakho, futhi mina ngilandela wena.” Wathi: “Ngizowuhlenga mina.”

⁵UBhowazi wathi: “Ngosuku owuthenga ngalo lo mhlaba kuNawomi, uthatha kanjalo noRuthe umMowabikazi, umfelokazi walowo ofileyo, ukuze uvuse igama lakhe efeni lakhe.”

⁶Wabe esethi umhlengi: “Angikwazi ukuwuhlenga mina ngokwami, funa ngichithe ifa lami. Thatha wena ilungelo lami lokuhlenga; angikwazi ukuwuhlenga.”

⁷Endulo kwa-Israyeli, ukuze kuqiniswe noma yisiphi isivumelwano sokuhlenga noma sokushintshisana ngempahla, umuntu wayekhumula imbadada yakhe ayinike omunye. Lokhu kwakuqinisa izivumelwano kwa-Israyeli. ^a a v7 Ukukhumula imbadada ukuyinikela obala kwakusho ukuvala isivumelwano esisemthethweni kwa-Israyeli wasendulo — kuyikho okufana nokusayina inkontileka phambi kofakazi. ⁸Ngakho lapho umhlengi womndeni ethi kuBhowazi: “Zithengele wena,” wakhumula imbadada yakhe.

⁹UBhowazi wabe esetshela amadoda amadala nabantu bonke: “Ningofakazi namuhla ukuthi ngithengile kuNawomi konke okwakungoku-Elimeleki, noKhiliyoni, noMahiloni. ¹⁰Ngithathe kanjalo uRuthe umMowabikazi, umfelokazi kaMahiloni, ukuba abe ngumkami, ukuze ngilondoloze igama lalowo ofileyo efeni lakhe, ukuze igama lakhe linganyamalali emndenini wakhe nasemibhalweni yedolobha lakubo. Ningofakazi namuhla.”

¹¹Bonke abantu ababesesangweni namadoda amadala bathi: “Singofakazi. Sengathi uBaba wethu angamenza owesifazane ongena endlini yakho afane noRasheli noLeya, abayakha bobabili indlu ka-Israyeli. Uchume e-Efratha, udume eBhetlehema. ¹²Sengathi indlu yakho ingafana neykaPheresi, owazalelwa uJuda nguThamari, ngabantwana azakunika bona uBaba wethu kulo mfazi omusha.”

UBhowazi noRuthe bayashada

¹³Ngakho uBhowazi wamthatha uRuthe waba ngumkakhe. Walala naye, uBaba wethu wamvumela ukuba akhulelwe, wazala indodana. ¹⁴Abesifazane bbase bethi kuNawomi: “Makadunyiswe uBaba wethu, ongakushiyanga namuhla ungenaye umhlengi womndeni — sengathi igama lakhe lingaduma kwa-Israyeli! ¹⁵Uzakwenza busha ukuphila kwakho akusekele ebudaleni bakho, ngokuba umalokazana wakho okuthandayo, obaluleke kuwe kunamadodana ayisikhombisa, umzalele yena.” ¹⁶UNawomi wabe esethatha umntwana, wambeka emathangeni akhe, wamnakekela. ¹⁷Abesifazane abangomakhelwane bamqamba igama bathi: “UNawomi uzalelwe indodana!” Bamqamba ngokuthi u-Obede, uyise kaJese, uyise kaDavide.

Uhlu lozalo oluya kuDavide

¹⁸Lezi-ke yizizukulwane zikaPheresi: uPheresi wazala uHesironi, ¹⁹uHesironi wazala uRamu, uRamu wazala u-Aminadaba, ²⁰u-Aminadaba wazala uNashoni, uNashoni wazala uSalimoni, ²¹uSalimoni wazala uBhowazi, uBhowazi wazala u-Obede, ²²u-Obede wazala uJese, uJese wazala uDavide. ^b b v22 Incwadi kaRuthe ibilokhu iqonde kuleli gama selokhu yaqala. Endlini kaDavide kuyakuvela uJesu — iNdodana kaDavide, umhlengi weqiniso wohlobo, lowo uBhowazi ambonisa ngokuzothile.