Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Ruth 1:12

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,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Daughter-In-Law;   Readings, Select;   Ruth;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mahlon;   Orpah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Widow;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Orpah;   Ruth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hope;   Naomi;   Orpah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Certain;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for July 30;  

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,
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,
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 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 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people." 11 But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 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, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!" 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."

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
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all [fn] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Isaiah 61:11
For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Mark 4:28
For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
Luke 6:44
For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
2 Corinthians 9:10
Now may [fn] He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

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.


 
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