I have a string which looks like a hash: "{ :key_a => { :key_1a => 'value_1a', :key_2a => 'value_2a' }, :key_b => { :key_1b => 'value_1b' } }" How do I get a Hash out of it? like: { :key_a => { :key_1a => 'value_1a', :key_2a => 'value_2a' }, :key_b => { :key_1b => 'value_1b' } } The string can have any depth of nesting. It has all the properties how a valid Hash is typed in Ruby.