text: why did ruth leave home? bible: book of ruth now elimelech, naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 they married moabite women, one named orpah and the other ruth. after they had lived there about ten years, 5 both mahlon and kilion also died, and naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. 8 then naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "go back, each of you, to your mother's home. may the lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. 9 may the lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband."        then she kissed them and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, "we will go back with you to your people."    11 but naomi said, "return home, my daughters. why would you come with me? am i going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 return home, my daughters; i am too old to have another husband. even if i thought there was still hope for me—even if i had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons- 13 would you wait until they grew up? would you remain unmarried for them? no, my daughters. it is more bitter for me than for you, because the lord's hand has gone out against me!"    14 at this they wept again. then orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but ruth clung to her.    15 "look," said naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. go back with her."    16 but ruth replied, "don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. where you go i will go, and where you stay i will stay. your people will be my people and your god my god. 17 where you die i will die, and there i will be buried. may the lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." 18 when naomi realized that ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.    19 so the two women went on until they came to bethlehem. when they arrived in bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "can this be naomi?"   * she followed naomi out of love