A Farmer's Wife

In the district called Ephrath, belonging to the tribe of Judah, stood the city of Bethlehem, or "house of bread". It was a city with walls and gates, and lay between fruitful hills and well-watered valleys. There among pleasant cornfields and pasture lands lived a man named Elimelech, which means "my God is my King". He was descended from one of the princes of Judah, and was a man of means and consequence. Elimelech's wife was named Naomi, meaning "pleasant", and they had two sons whose names were Mahlon and Chilion. This old and noble family lived in this fertile region, amid pleasant surroundings, and with happy prospects, until one of the frequent famines that were brought on by want of rain visited their district.