Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land {that was} not sown. {thee: or, for thy sake}

And he said, Who {art} thou? And she answered, I {am} Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou {art} a near kinsman. {a near...: or, one that hath right to redeem}

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. {life: or, person}

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit {it} for ever.

(For the LORD thy God {is} a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and {how} I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

For thou {art} an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that {are} upon the face of the earth.

When Israel {was} a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee {when thou wast} in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee {when thou wast} in thy blood, Live. {polluted: or, trodden under foot}

I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? {Was} not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, {saying}, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. {of...: Heb. from afar} {with lovingkindness...: have I extended lovingkindness unto thee}

But thou, Israel, {art} my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and {with} the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day {that} I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: {although...: or, should I have continued an husband unto them?}

And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I {am} the LORD your God; {lifted...: or, sware}

And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, {and} the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

And not only {this}; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, {even} by our father Isaac;

And he said, Who {art} thou? And she answered, I {am} Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou {art} a near kinsman. {a near...: or, one that hath right to redeem}

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called {thee} by thy name; thou {art} mine.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

For thy Maker {is} thine husband; the LORD of hosts {is} his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. {Maker: Heb. Makers}

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land {that was} not sown. {thee: or, for thy sake}

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now {is} the accepted time; behold, now {is} the day of salvation.)

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. {jewels: or, special treasure}

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh {himself} with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth {herself} with her jewels. {decketh: Heb. decketh as a priest}

As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.

Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet {is} she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, {my} spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. {ravished: or, taken away}

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day {that} I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: {although...: or, should I have continued an husband unto them?}

Thou {art} thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou {art} the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother {was} an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

And the names of them {were} Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus {were} their names; Samaria {is} Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. {Aholah: that is, His tent, or, tabernacle} {Aholibah: that is, My tabernacle in her}

To perform the mercy {promised} to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except {it be} for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find {them}: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then {was it} better with me than now.

{But as} a wife that committeth adultery, {which} taketh strangers instead of her husband!

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, {are} mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.