For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
When everything falls apart for a woman named Naomi, her daughter-in-law Ruth makes a promise of love that people still remember today.
Today's Story
Long ago, there was a hard time with no food, so a woman named Naomi, her husband, and her two sons left their home in Bethlehem and moved to a faraway land called Moab. There, the two sons grew up and married two women from Moab — Orpah and Ruth.
But then great sadness came. Naomi's husband died, and so did both of her sons. Now Naomi was left with just her two daughters-in-law, far from home, with no one to take care of them. Her heart was broken.
Naomi decided to go back home to Bethlehem. “Go back to your own families,” she told Orpah and Ruth. “You've been so kind. May God bless you.” After tears and hugs, Orpah went back. But Ruth held on tight and would not leave Naomi.
And Ruth said some of the most beautiful, loyal words in the whole Bible: “Don't beg me to leave you! Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”
So Ruth left everything — her home, her country — to stay with Naomi and follow Naomi's God. The two of them traveled together back to Bethlehem. They didn't have much. But they had each other, and they had God.
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Ruth left everything to stay with Naomi. Who is someone you would stick close to, no matter what?
- Ruth chose Naomi's God as her own. Have you decided to make God YOUR God?
- Naomi's heart was broken, but Ruth stayed with her. How can we be there for someone who's sad?