Chapter 13

The Ruined Waistband

1 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and abuy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.”

2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the aword of the Lord and put it around my waist.

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

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

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

6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.”

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

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

9 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the apride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 ‘This wicked people, who arefuse to listen to My words, who bwalk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless.

11 ‘For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah acling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for 1brenown, for cpraise and for glory; but they ddid not listen.’

Captivity Threatened

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

13 then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “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 adash them against each other, both the bfathers and the sons together,” declares the Lord. “I will cnot show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion so as not to destroy them.” ’ ”

15 Listen and give heed, do not be ahaughty,

For the Lord has spoken.

16 aGive glory to the Lord your God,

Before He brings bdarkness

And before your cfeet stumble

On the dusky mountains,

And while you are hoping for light

He makes it into ddeep darkness,

And turns it into gloom.

17 But aif you will not listen to it,

My soul will bsob in secret for such pride;

And my eyes will bitterly weep

And flow down with tears,

Because the cflock of the Lord has been taken captive.

18 Say to the aking and the queen mother,

“bTake a lowly seat,

For your beautiful ccrown

Has come down from your head.”

19 The acities of the Negev have been locked up,

And there is no one to open them;

All bJudah has been carried into exile,

Wholly carried 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 take hold of 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 removed

And your heels have 1been exposed.

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 drifting straw

To the desert bwind.

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

From Me,” declares the Lord,

“Because you have bforgotten Me

And trusted in falsehood.

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

That your shame 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 abominations.

Woe to you, O Jerusalem!

dHow long will you remain unclean?”