Jeremiah 13
13
1Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen waistcloth, and put it on your loins, and do not dip it in water.” 2So I bought a waistcloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins. 3And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, 4“Take the waistcloth which you have bought, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” 5So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the waistcloth which I commanded you to hide there.” 7Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the waistcloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the waistcloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.
8Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9“Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this waistcloth, which is good for nothing. 11For as the waistcloth clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
12“You shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar shall be filled with wine.” ’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?’ 13Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, says the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’ ”
15Hear and give ear; be not proud,
for the Lord has spoken.
16Give glory to the Lord your God
before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the twilight mountains,
and while you look for light
he turns it into gloom
and makes it deep darkness.
17But if you will not listen,
my soul will weep in secret for your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,
because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.
18Say to the king and the queen mother:
“Take a lowly seat,
for your beautiful crown
has come down from your head.”#13.18 Gk Syr Vg: Heb obscure
19The cities of the Negeb are shut up,
with none to open them;
all Judah is taken into exile,
wholly taken into exile.
20“Lift up your eyes and see
those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given you,
your beautiful flock?
21What will you say when they set as head over you
those whom you yourself have taught
to be friends to you?
Will not pangs take hold of you,
like those of a woman in travail?
22And if you say in your heart,
‘Why have these things come upon me?’
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
that your skirts are lifted up,
and you suffer violence.
23Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
who are accustomed to do evil.
24I will scatter you#13.24 Heb them like chaff
driven by the wind from the desert.
25This is your lot,
the portion I have measured out to you, says the Lord,
because you have forgotten me
and trusted in lies.
26I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,
and your shame will be seen.
27I have seen your abominations,
your adulteries and neighings, your lewd harlotries,
on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will it be
before you are made clean?”
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Jeremiah 13
13
The Linen Loincloth
1Thus Yahweh said to me: “Go and buy for yourself a loincloth of linen and put it on your loins, but you must not place#Literally “bring” it in water.” 2So I bought the loincloth according to the word of Yahweh and I put it#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation on my loins.
3Now the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying,#Literally “to say” 4“Take the loincloth that you bought, that is on your loins, and stand up, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in the cleft of the rock.” 5So I went and hid it by the Euphrates just as Yahweh had commanded me.
6And then,#Literally “And it happened” after a long time,#Literally “from the end of many days” then Yahweh said to me, “Stand up, go to the Euphrates and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7Then I went to the Euphrates and I dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it, and look, the loincloth was ruined; it was not good for anything.
8And then#Literally “And it happened” the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 9“Thus says Yahweh: ‘So I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10This evil people, who refuse to listen to my words, who go#Or “walk” in the stubbornness of their hearts,#Hebrew “heart” and have gone after other gods, to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, let them be like this loincloth which is not good for anything. 11For as the loincloth clings to the loins of a person, so I caused to cling to me all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘to be for me a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.’
12“Therefore, you shall say to them this word, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: “Every jar must be filled with wine.” ’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every jar should be filled with wine?’ 13Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Look, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings who sit on David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness. 14And I will smash them, each one against his brother, and the fathers and the sons together,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh. “I will not have compassion, and I will not take pity, and I will not show compassion from destroying them.” ’ ”
15Listen, and pay attention,
you must not be haughty, for Yahweh has spoken.
16Give glory to Yahweh your God before#Literally “at not yet” he brings darkness,
and before#Literally “at not yet” your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight.
And you will hope for light, but he makes it as gloom,
he makes it#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation as thick darkness.
17But if you will not listen to it,
my inner self#Or “soul” will weep in secret places,
because of the presence of#Literally “the face of” your pride.
And my eyes#Hebrew “eye” will weep bitterly,
and they will melt in tears,
because the flock of Yahweh has been taken captive.
A Message for the King and the Queen Mother
18“Say to the king and to the queen mother, ‘Take a lower seat,#Literally “Bring low sit”
for your beautiful crown#Literally “the crown of your beauty” has come down from your head.’#Or “at the head of you”
19The towns of the Negev are shut up,
and there is no one who opens them.#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
All of Judah is deported;
it is deported in completeness.
20Lift up your eyes
and see those coming from the north.
Where is the flock that was given to you,
your magnificent flock?#Literally “the flock of your splendor”
21What will you say when he sets over you—
and you have taught them—allies as head over you?
Will not labor pains take hold of you,
like a woman giving birth?
22And if you say in your heart,
‘Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the greatness of your iniquity your skirts are uncovered;
your heels have endured violence.
23Can a Cushite change his skin,
or a leopard his spots?
Then you also will be able to do good,
who are accustomed to doing evil.
24And I will scatter them
like stubble scattered by the wind of the desert.#Or “wilderness”
25This is your lot,
the portion of your measure from me,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“because you have forgotten me,
and you have trusted in the lie.
26So in turn I will bare your skirts over your face,
and your shame will become visible.
27Your adulteries, and your neighings,
the shameful behavior of your fornications
on the hills in the countryside,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will you continue to be unclean?#Literally “Not you are clean after how long still””
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