Ruth 1:12

Easy-to-Read Version

Go back home. I am too old to have a new husband. Even if I thought I could be married again, I could not help you. If I became pregnant tonight and had two sons,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,

Hebrew Names Version
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;

King James Version
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

Lexham English Bible
Turn back, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should think there is hope for me, even if I should have a husband this night, and even if I should bear sons,

English Standard Version
Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons,

New Century Version
go back, my daughters, to your own homes. I am too old to have another husband. Even if I told myself, ‘I still have hope' and had another husband tonight, and even if I had more sons,

New English Translation
Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons,

Amplified Bible
"Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, and if I actually had a husband tonight and even gave birth to sons,

New American Standard Bible
"Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I were even to have a husband tonight and also give birth to sons,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Turne againe, my daughters: go your way: for I am too olde to haue an husband. If I should say, I haue hope, and if I had an husbad this night: yea, if I had borne sonnes,

Legacy Standard Bible
Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,

Contemporary English Version
You must go back home, because I am too old to marry again. Even if I got married tonight and later had more sons,

Complete Jewish Bible
Go back, my daughters; go your way; for I'm too old to have a husband. Even if I were to say, ‘I still have hope'; even if I had a husband tonight and bore sons;

Darby Translation
Return, my daughters, go; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, should I even have a husband to-night, and should I also bear sons,

George Lamsa Translation
Turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, and even if I should have a husband, and should also bear sons;

Good News Translation
Go back home, for I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and so got married tonight and had sons,

Literal Translation
Turn back, my daughters, go. For I am too old to belong to a husband. Though I should say, There is hope for me, and I should be tonight with a husband, and also I should bear sons;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Turne agayne my doughters, and go youre waye, for I am now to olde to take an hußbande. And though I shulde saye: I hope this night to take an hußbande & to brynge forth children,

American Standard Version
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and should also bear sons;

Bible in Basic English
Go back, my daughters, and go on your way; I am so old now that I may not have another husband. If I said, I have hopes, if I had a husband tonight, and might have sons,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Turne againe my daughters, go your way, for I am to olde to haue an husbande: And if I sayd, I haue hope, if I toke a man also this night, yea & though I had alredy borne sonnes:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say: I have hope, should I even have an husband to-night, and also bear sons;

King James Version (1611)
Turne againe, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to haue an husband: if I should say, I haue hope, if I should haue a husband also to night, and should also beare sonnes:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Turn now, my daughters, for I am too old to be married: for I said, Suppose I were married, and should bear sons;

English Revised Version
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have an husband to-night, and should also bear sons;

Berean Standard Bible
Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for now Y am maad eeld, and Y am not able to boond of mariage; yhe, thouy Y myyte conseyue in this nyyt,

Young's Literal Translation
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:

Update Bible Version
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;

Webster's Bible Translation
Turn again, my daughters, go [your way]; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, [if] I should have a husband also to-night, and should also bear sons;

World English Bible
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;

New King James Version
Turn back, my daughters, go--for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

New Living Translation
No, my daughters, return to your parents' homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what?

New Life Bible
Return, my daughters. Go. For I am too old to have a husband. If I had hope, if I should have a husband tonight and give birth to sons,

New Revised Standard
Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Go back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband, - If I should say, I have, hope, if I should, even to-night have a husband, and should, even bear sons,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Return again, my daughters, and go your ways: for I am now spent with age, and not fit for wedlock. Although I might conceive this night, and bear children,

Revised Standard Version
Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,

Contextual Overview

⁶ While Naomi was in the country of Moab, she heard that the Lord had helped his people. He had given food to his people in Judah. So Naomi decided to leave the hill country of Moab and go back home. Her daughters-in-law also decided to go with her. ⁷ They left the place where they had been living and started walking back to the land of Judah. ⁸ Then Naomi told her daughters-in-law, "Each of you should go back home to your mother. You have been very kind to me and my sons who are now dead. So I pray that the Lord will be just as kind to you. ⁹ I pray that the Lord will help each of you find a husband and a good home." Naomi kissed her daughters-in-law, and they all started crying. ¹⁰ Then the daughters said, "But we want to come with you and go to your family." ¹¹ But Naomi said, "No, daughters, go back to your own homes. Why should you go with me? I can't have any more sons to be your husbands. ¹² Go back home. I am too old to have a new husband. Even if I thought I could be married again, I could not help you. If I became pregnant tonight and had two sons, ¹³ you would have to wait until they grew to become men before you could marry them. I cannot make you wait that long for husbands. That would make me very sad. And I am already sad enough—the Lord has done many things to me!" ¹⁴ So again they cried very much. Then Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, but Ruth hugged her and stayed. ¹⁵ Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her own people and her own gods. You should do the same."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

too old: Genesis 17:17, 1 Timothy 5:9

I should have: or, I were with

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 25:5 - husband's brother Luke 20:28 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
God named the dry land "earth," and he named the water that was gathered together "seas." And God saw that this was good.

Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the earth grow grass, plants that make grain, and fruit trees. The fruit trees will make fruit with seeds in it. And each plant will make its own kind of seed. Let these plants grow on the earth." And it happened.

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth produce many kinds of living things. Let there be many different kinds of animals. Let there be large animals and small crawling animals of every kind. And let all these animals produce more animals." And all these things happened.

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Now let's make humans who will be like us. They will rule over all the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. They will rule over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth."

Isaiah 61:11
The earth causes plants to grow, and a garden makes the seeds planted there rise up. In the same way, the Lord God will make goodness and praise grow throughout the nations.

Mark 4:28
Without any help the ground produces grain. First the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head.

Luke 6:44
Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won't find figs on thorny weeds. And you can't pick grapes from thornbushes!

2 Corinthians 9:10
God is the one who gives seed to those who plant, and he gives bread for food. And God will give you spiritual seed and make that seed grow. He will produce a great harvest from your goodness.

Galatians 6:7
If you think you can fool God, you are only fooling yourselves. You will harvest what you plant.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Turn again, my daughters, go your way,.... This she repeated still to try their affections to her, and especially whether there was any real love to the God of Israel, his people, and worship, but still proceeds upon the same topic:

for I am too old to have an husband; and can never think of marrying again on account of age, nor can you surely ever think I should, at these years I am now arrived to:

if I should say I have hope; of marrying, and bearing children; suppose that:

if I should have a husband also tonight; be married to a man directly, suppose that:

and should also bear sons; conceive and bear, not female but male children, allow that; all which are mere suppositions, and, could they be admitted, would not furnish out any reason why you should be desirous of going with me.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See marginal references and notes. The Levirate law probably existed among the Moabites, and in Israel extended beyond the brother in the strict sense, and applied to the nearest relations, since Boaz was only the kinsman of Elimelech Ruth 3:12.