"Then I passedby you and sawyou, and behold,you were at the timefor love;so I spreadMy skirtoveryou and coveredyour nakedness.I also sworeto you and enteredinto a covenantwith you so that you becameMine," declaresthe LordGOD.
and said,"By Myself I have sworn,declaresthe LORD,becauseyou have donethisthingand have not withheldyour son,your onlyson,
"Terrorand dreadfallupon them; By the greatnessof Your armthey are motionlessas stone;UntilYour peoplepassover,O LORD,Untilthe peoplepassoverwhomYou have purchased.
"RememberAbraham,Isaac,and Israel,Your servantsto whomYou sworeby Yourself, and saidto them, 'I will multiplyyour descendantsas the starsof the heavens,and allthislandof whichI have spokenI will giveto your descendants,and they shall inherit[it] forever.'"
But now,thussaysthe LORD,your Creator,O Jacob,And He who formedyou, O Israel,"Do not fear,for I have redeemedyou; I have calledyou by name;you are Mine!
"Sinceyou are preciousin My sight,[Since] you are honoredand I loveyou, I will give[other] menin your placeand [other] peoplesin exchangefor your life.
The LORDappearedto him from afar,[saying], "I have lovedyou with an everlastinglove;ThereforeI have drawnyou with lovingkindness.
not like the covenantwhichI madewith their fathersin the dayI tookthem by the handto bringthem out of the landof Egypt,My covenantwhichthey broke,although I was a husbandto them," declaresthe LORD.
"When I passedby you and sawyou squirmingin your blood,I saidto you [while you were] in your blood,'Live!'Yes, I saidto you [while you were] in your blood,'Live!'
WhenIsrael[was] a youthI lovedhim, And out of EgyptI calledMy son.
"Then I will giveher her vineyardsfrom there,And the valleyof Achoras a doorof hope.And she will singthereas in the daysof her youth,As in the daywhen she cameup from the landof Egypt.
"She will pursueher lovers,but she will not overtakethem; And she will seekthem, but will not find[them]. Then she will say,I will gobackto my firsthusband,For it was betterfor me thenthannow!'
"I have lovedyou," saysthe LORD.But you say,"Howhave You lovedus?" "[Was] not EsauJacob'sbrother?"declaresthe LORD."Yet I have lovedJacob;
But GoddemonstratesHis ownlovetowardus, in that while we were yetsinners,Christdiedfor us.
"For the LORDyour Godis a compassionateGod;He will not failyou nordestroyyou norforgetthe covenantwith your fatherswhichHe sworeto them.
He said,"Whoare you?" And she answered,"I am Ruthyour maid.So spreadyour coveringoveryour maid,for you are a closerelative."
"For the LORDwill not abandonHis peopleon accountof His greatname,becausethe LORDhas been pleasedto makeyou a peoplefor Himself.
