Jeremiah 13

CHAPTER 13

The Ruined Belt

¹Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and ^abuy yourself a linen belt and put it around your loins, but do not put it in water.”

²So I bought the belt in accordance with the ^aword of Yahweh and put it around my loins.

³Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying,

⁴“Take the belt that you have bought, which is around your loins, and arise, go to ¹the ^aEuphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.”

⁵So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, ^aas Yahweh had commanded me.

⁶Now it happened that after many days Yahweh said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.”

⁷Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined; it was totally worthless.

⁸Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

⁹“Thus says Yahweh, ‘Just so will I ruin the ^apride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

¹⁰‘This evil people, who ^arefuse to listen to My words, who ^bwalk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have walked after other gods to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this belt which is totally worthless.

¹¹‘For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah ^acling to Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for a ^bname, for ^cpraise, and for beauty; but they ^ddid not listen.’

The Magnitude of Israel’s Iniquity

¹²“Therefore you are to say this word to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.” ’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’

¹³Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with ^adrunkenness!

¹⁴“I will ^ashatter them against each other, both the ^bfathers and the sons together,” declares Yahweh. “I will ^cnot spare nor show pity nor have compassion so as not to ruin them.” ’ ”

¹⁵Listen and give ear, do not be ^ahaughty,

For Yahweh has spoken.

^16aGive glory to Yahweh your God,

Before He brings ^bdarkness

And before your ^cfeet ¹stumble

On the dusky mountains;

And while you are hoping for light,

He makes it into the ^dshadow of death

And turns it into dense gloom.

¹⁷But ^aif you will not listen to it,

My soul will ^bcry in secret for such pride;

And my eyes will bitterly weep

And flow down with tears

Because the ^cflock of Yahweh has been taken captive.

¹⁸Say to the ^aking and the queen mother,

“^bTake a lowly seat,

For your beautiful ^ccrown

Has come down from your head.”

¹⁹The ^acities of the Negev have been closed up,

And there is no one to open them;

All ^bJudah has been taken away into exile,

Wholly taken away into exile.

²⁰“Lift up your eyes and see

Those coming ^afrom the north.

Where is the ^bflock that was given you,

Your beautiful sheep?

²¹“What will you say when He appoints over you—

And you yourself had taught them—

Former ^1acompanions to be head over you?

Will not ^bpangs seize you

Like a woman in childbirth?

²²“If you ^asay in your heart,

‘^bWhy have these things happened to me?’

Because of the ^cmagnitude of your iniquity

^dYour skirts have been uncovered

And your heels have suffered violence.

²³“^aCan the Ethiopian change his skin

Or the leopard his spots?

Then you also can ^bdo good

Who are accustomed to doing evil.

²⁴“Therefore I will ^ascatter them like chaff passing away

Into the wilderness ^bwind.

²⁵“This is your ^alot, the portion measured to you

From Me,” declares Yahweh,

“Because you have ^bforgotten Me

And trusted in lies.

²⁶“So I Myself have also ^astripped your skirts off over your face,

That your disgrace may be seen.

²⁷“As for your ^aadulteries and your lustful neighings,

The ^blewdness of your prostitution

On the ^chills in the field,

I have seen your detestable things.

Woe to you, O Jerusalem!

^dHow long will you not cleanse yourself?”