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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Jeremiah 13
13
Judah’s Corruption.#In this symbolic action, Jeremiah probably went to the village and spring of Parah, two and a half miles northeast of Anathoth, whose name closely resembled the Hebrew name of the river Euphrates (Perath), in order to dramatize the religious corruption of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. 1The Lord said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth; wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water. 2I bought the loincloth, as the Lord commanded, and put it on. 3A second time the word of the Lord came to me thus: 4Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing, and go at once to the Perath; hide it there in a cleft of the rock. 5Obedient to the Lord’s command, I went to the Perath and buried the loincloth. 6After a long time, the Lord said to me: Go now to the Perath and fetch the loincloth which I told you to hide there. 7So I went to the Perath, looked for the loincloth and took it from the place I had hidden it. But it was rotted, good for nothing! 8Then the word came to me from the Lord: 9Thus says the Lord: So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot, the great pride of Jerusalem.#Prv 16:18. 10This wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and follow other gods, serving and worshiping them, will be like this loincloth, good for nothing.#Jer 2:20; 7:24; 16:11. 11For, as the loincloth clings to a man’s loins, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me—oracle of the Lord—to be my people, my fame, my praise, my glory. But they did not listen.#Ex 19:5; Dt 26:18–19.
The Broken Wineflask. 12Now speak to them this word: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Every wineflask should be filled with wine. If they reply, “Do we not know that every wineflask should be filled with wine?” 13say to them: Thus says the Lord: Beware! I am making all the inhabitants of this land drunk, the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests and prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.#Jer 25:15–18; Is 51:17. 14I will smash them against each other, parents and children together—oracle of the Lord—showing no compassion, I will neither spare nor pity, but I will destroy them.#Jer 19:10–11.
A Last Warning
15Listen and give ear, do not be arrogant,
for the Lord speaks.
16Give glory to the Lord, your God,
before he brings darkness;
Before your feet stumble
on mountains at twilight;
Before the light you look for turns to darkness,
changes into black clouds.#Prv 4:18–19; Is 5:30; Am 8:9.
17If you do not listen to this in your pride,
I will weep many tears in secret;
My eyes will run with tears
for the Lord’s flock, led away to exile.#Jer 14:17; Ps 119:136.
Exile
18Say to the king and to the queen mother:
come down from your throne;
From your heads
your splendid crowns will fall.#Jer 22:26; 2 Kgs 24:12, 15.
19The cities of the Negeb are besieged,
with no one to relieve them;
Judah is taken into exile—all of it—
in total exile.
Jerusalem’s Disgrace
20Lift up your eyes and see
those coming in from the north.
Where is the flock entrusted to you,
your splendid sheep?#Jer 6:22–23.
21What will you say when rulers are appointed over you,
those you taught to be allies?
Will not pains seize you
like those of a woman giving birth?#2 Kgs 16:7.
22If you say to yourself:
“Why have these things happened to me?”
For your great guilt your skirts are stripped away
and you are violated.#Is 47:2–3.
23Can Ethiopians change their skin,
leopards their spots?
As easily would you be able to do good,
accustomed to evil as you are.#Ps 55:20.
24I will scatter them like chaff that flies
on the desert wind.#Ps 1:4; 83:14.
25This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you—
oracle of the Lord.
Because you have forgotten me,
and trusted in deception,#Heb. sheqer: lit., “deception,” often used to designate an idol. #Jb 20:29.
26I now will strip away your skirts,
so that your shame is visible.#Ez 16:32.
27Your adulteries, your neighings,
your shameless prostitutions:
On the hills, in the fields
I see your detestable crimes.
Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will it be
before you are clean?#Jer 2:20.
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