Jeremiah 13:22-26 - Compare All Versions

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And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?”— it is because of your many sins that your skirts have been torn off and your body mistreated. Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil. “I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind. This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you,” declares the LORD, “because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods. I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen

And 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. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. I will scatter you like chaff driven by the wind from the desert. This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies. I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen.

You may ask yourself, “Why is all this happening to me?” It is because of your many sins! That is why you have been stripped and raped by invading armies. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil. “I will scatter you like chaff that is blown away by the desert winds. This is your allotment, the portion I have assigned to you,” says the LORD, “for you have forgotten me, putting your trust in false gods. I myself will strip you and expose you to shame.

And when you ask yourself, “Why have these things happened to me? ” it is because of your great guilt  that your skirts have been stripped off,  your body exposed.  Can the Cushite change his skin, or a leopard his spots? If so, you might be able to do what is good,  you who are instructed in evil. I will scatter you  like drifting chaff  before the desert wind. This is your lot, what I have decreed for you — this is the  LORD’s declaration — because you have forgotten me  and trusted in lies.  I will pull your skirts up over your face so that your shame might be seen.

And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness. This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood. Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.

And if you say in your heart, “Why have these things come upon me?” For the greatness of your iniquity Your skirts have been uncovered, Your heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil. “Therefore I will scatter them like stubble That passes away by the wind of the wilderness. This is your lot, The portion of your measures from Me,” says the LORD, “Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood. Therefore I will uncover your skirts over your face, That your shame may appear.

Look, look, Jerusalem! Look at the enemies coming out of the north! What will become of your flocks of people, the beautiful flocks in your care? How are you going to feel when the people you’ve played up to, looked up to all these years Now look down on you? You didn’t expect this? Surprise! The pain of a woman having a baby! Do I hear you saying, “What’s going on here? Why me?” The answer’s simple: You’re guilty, hugely guilty. Your guilt has your life endangered, your guilt has you writhing in pain. Can an African change skin? Can a leopard get rid of its spots? So what are the odds on you doing good, you who are so long-practiced in evil? “I’ll blow these people away— like wind-blown leaves. You have it coming to you. I’ve measured it out precisely.” GOD’s Decree. “It’s because you forgot me and embraced the Big Lie, that so-called god Baal. I’m the one who will rip off your clothes, expose and shame you before the watching world. Your obsessions with gods, gods, and more gods, your goddess affairs, your god-adulteries. Gods on the hills, gods in the fields— every time I look you’re off with another god. O Jerusalem, what a sordid life! Is there any hope for you!”

“If you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ Because of the magnitude of your wrongdoing Your skirts have been removed And your heels have suffered violence. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Then you as well can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil. “Therefore I will scatter them like drifting straw To the desert wind. “This is your lot, the portion measured to you From Me,” declares the LORD, “Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood. “So I Myself have stripped your skirts off over your face, So that your shame will be seen.

“And if you [wonder and] say in your heart, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ It is because of the greatness and nature of your sin That your skirts have been pulled away [subjecting you to public disgrace] And [like a barefoot slave] your heels have been wounded. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to evil and even trained to do it. “Therefore I will scatter you like drifting straw [Driven away] by the desert wind. “This is your destiny, the portion [of judgment] measured to you From Me,” says the LORD, “Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in [pagan] lies [the counterfeit gods, and the pretense of alliance].” “So I Myself will throw your skirts up over your face, That your shame may be exposed [publicly].

You will probably ask yourself, ‘Why have these things happened to me? Why have I been treated like a disgraced adulteress whose skirt has been torn off and her limbs exposed?’ It is because you have sinned so much. But there is little hope for you ever doing good, you who are so accustomed to doing evil. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard remove its spots? “The LORD says, ‘That is why I will scatter your people like chaff that is blown away by a desert wind. This is your fate, the destiny to which I have appointed you, because you have forgotten me and have trusted in false gods. So I will pull your skirt up over your face and expose you to shame like a disgraced adulteress!