Ruth 1:12

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?

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 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 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 Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. ⁷ With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. ⁸ But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mothers' homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. ⁹ May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage." Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. ¹⁰ "No," they said. "We want to go with you to your people." ¹¹ But Naomi replied, "Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? ¹² 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? ¹³ Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me." ¹⁴ And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. ¹⁵ "Look," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her 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 called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And that is what happened.

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals." And that is what happened.

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground."

Isaiah 61:11
The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.

Mark 4:28
The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.

Luke 6:44
A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes.

2 Corinthians 9:10
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Galatians 6:7
Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always 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.