Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 13:22–25

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13:22You will probably ask yourself,62

‘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?’63

It is because you have sinned so much.64

13:23But there is little hope for you ever doing good,

you who are so accustomed to doing evil.

Can an Ethiopian65 change the color of his skin?

Can a leopard remove its spots?66

13:24“The Lord says,67

‘That is why I will scatter your people68 like chaff

that is blown away by a desert wind.69

13:25This is your fate,

the destiny to which I have appointed you,

because you have forgotten me

and have trusted in false gods.

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Footnotes

  1. 62 Heb “say in your heart.”
  2. 63 Heb “Your skirt has been uncovered and your heels have been treated with violence.” This is the generally accepted interpretation of these phrases. See, e.g., 784 עָקֵב a and I חָמַס Nif. The significance of the actions here are part of the metaphor (i.e., personification) of Jerusalem as an adulteress having left her husband and have been explained in the translation for the sake of readers unfamiliar with the metaphor. The actions here were part of the treatment of an adulteress by her husband, intended to shame her. See Hos 2:3, 10 (2:5, 12 ); Isa 47:4.
  3. 64 The translation has been restructured to break up a long sentence involving a conditional clause and an elliptical consequential clause. It has also been restructured to define more clearly what “these things” are. The Hebrew text reads: “And if you say, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ Because of the greatness of your iniquity your skirts [= what your skirt covers] have been uncovered and your heels have been treated with violence.”
  4. 65 This is a common proverb in English coming from this biblical passage. For cultures where it is not proverbial perhaps it would be better to translate “Can black people change the color of their skin?” Strictly speaking these are “Cushites” inhabitants of a region along the upper Nile south of Egypt. The Greek text is responsible for the identification with Ethiopia. The term in Greek is actually a epithet = “burnt face.”
  5. 66 Heb “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? [Then] you also will be able to do good who are accustomed to do evil.” The English sentence has been restructured and rephrased in an attempt to produce some of the same rhetorical force the Hebrew original has in this context.
  6. 67 The words, “The Lord says” are not in the text at this point. The words “an oracle of the Lord” does, however, occur in the middle of the next verse and it is obvious the Lord is the speaker. The words have been moved up from the next verse to enhance clarity.
  7. 68 Heb “them.” This is another example of the rapid shift in pronouns seen several times in the book of Jeremiah. The pronouns in the preceding and the following are second feminine singular. It might be argued that “them” goes back to the “flock”/“sheep” in v. 20, but the next verse refers the fate described here to “you” (feminine singular). This may be another example of the kind of metaphoric shifts in referents discussed in the notes on above. Besides, it would sound a little odd in the translation to speak of scattering one person like chaff.
  8. 69 Compare the threat using the same metaphor in Jer 4:11–12.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

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.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

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.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

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.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And 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.

Can 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.

And I will scatter them

like stubble scattered by the wind of the desert.

This is your lot,

the portion of your measure from me,” declares Yahweh,

“because you have forgotten me,

and you have trusted in the lie.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

Public Domain