This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Ruth 1-4, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Long ago, in a faraway land, a woman named Naomi lived with her husband and their two sons in Bethlehem. But one day, there was a famine in the land, and they had to move to a different country called Moab. There, Naomi’s husband died, leaving her alone with her two sons. Her sons grew up and married two Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. But then, Naomi’s sons also died, and she was left with only her daughters-in-law.
One day, Naomi heard that there was food again in Bethlehem, so she decided to go back to her hometown. She told her daughters-in-law to go back to their families and find new husbands. Orpah decided to go back, but Ruth didn’t want to leave Naomi alone. Ruth told Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” So Ruth went with Naomi back to Bethlehem.
When they got there, the people were surprised to see them. Naomi was sad and asked everyone to call her Mara instead of Naomi because she felt that God had treated her very badly. But Ruth worked hard to take care of Naomi, and one day she went to the fields to pick up leftover grains of wheat.
The owner of the field was a man named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband. Boaz noticed Ruth and asked his workers to let her pick up as much wheat as she wanted. Boaz was kind to Ruth and made sure she had enough to eat and drink.
Later, Naomi told Ruth to go to Boaz at night and lay down at his feet. This was a sign that she wanted Boaz to marry her. Boaz agreed to marry Ruth, but there was another man who had a right to marry her first. The other man did not want to marry Ruth, so Boaz and Ruth got married.
They had a son named Obed, who became the grandfather of King David. Ruth and Boaz were blessed by God for their faithfulness, and they became an important part of Jesus’ family tree.
Biblical Lessons
- God is always with us even when things are difficult
- Loyalty and love are important in relationships
- We should be kind and help others
- God blesses those who follow Him and do good things