Jeremias 13

1 Thus saith the Lord, Go and procure for thyself a linen girdle, and put it about thy loins, and let it not be put in water.

Thus said Jehovah unto me, 'Go, and thou hast got for thee a girdle of linen, and hast placed it on thy loins, and into water thou dost not cause it to enter:'

2 So I procured the girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it about my loins.

and I get the girdle, according to the word of Jehovah, and I place [it] on my loins.

3 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me a second time, saying,

4 Take the girdle that is upon thy loins, and arise, and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

'Take the girdle that thou hast got, that [is] on thy loins, and rise, go to Phrat, and hide it there in a hole of the rock;

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

and I go and hide it by Phrat, as Jehovah commanded me.

6 And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take thence the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there.

And it cometh to pass, at the end of many days, that Jehovah saith unto me, 'Rise, go to Phrat, and take thence the girdle, that I commanded thee to hide there;'

7 So I went to the river Euphrates, and dug, and took the girdle out of the place where I [had] buried it: and, behold, it was rotten, utterly good for nothing.

and I go to Phrat, and dig, and take the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and lo, the girdle hath been marred, it is not profitable for anything.

8 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord,

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 'Thus said Jehovah:

9 Thus will I mar the pride of Juda, and the pride of Jerusalem;

Thus do I mar the excellency of Judah, And the great excellency of Jerusalem.

10 [even] this great pride [of the men] that will not hearken to my words, and have gone after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them: and they shall be as this girdle, which can be used for nothing.

This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, Who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, And go after other gods to serve them, And to bow themselves to them, Yea it is — as this girdle, that is not profitable for anything.

11 For as a girdle cleaves about the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to myself the house of Israel, and the whole house of Juda; that they might be to me a famous people, and a praise, and a glory: but they did not hearken to me.

For, as the girdle cleaveth unto the loins of a man, So I caused to cleave unto Me The whole house of Israel, And the whole house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah, To be to Me for a people, and for a name, And for praise, and for beauty, And they have not hearkened.

12 And thou shalt say to this people, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and it shall come to pass, if they shall say to thee, Shall we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? that thou shalt say to them,

And thou hast said unto them this word, Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, 'Every bottle is full of wine,' And they have said unto thee: 'Do we not certainly know that every bottle is full of wine?'

13 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I [will] fill the inhabitants of this land, and their kings the sons of David that sit upon their throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and Juda and all the dwellers in Jerusalem, with strong drink.

And thou hast said unto them, 'Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am filling all the inhabitants of this land, And the kings who sit for David on his throne, And the priests, and the prophets, And all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [With] drunkenness,

14 And I will scatter them a man and his brother, and their fathers and their sons together: I will not have compassion, saith the Lord, and I will not spare, neither will I pity [to save them] from destruction.

And have dashed them one against another, And the fathers and the sons together, An affirmation of Jehovah, I do not pity, nor spare, nor have I mercy, So as not to destroy them.

15 Hear ye, and give ear, and be not proud: for the Lord has spoken.

Hear, and give ear — be not haughty, For Jehovah hath spoken.

16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and ye shall wait for light, and behold the shadow of death, and they shall be brought into darkness.

Give ye to Jehovah your God honour, Before He doth cause darkness, And before your feet stumble on dark mountains, And ye have waited for light, And He hath made it for death-shade, And hath appointed [it] for thick darkness.

17 But if ye will not hearken, your soul shall weep in secret because of pride, and your eyes shall pour down tears, because the Lord's flock is sorely bruised.

And if ye do not hear it, In secret places doth my soul weep, because of pride, Yea, it weepeth sore, And the tear cometh down mine eyes, For the flock of Jehovah hath been taken captive.

18 Say ye to the king and the princes, Humble yourselves, and sit down; for your crown of glory is removed from your head.

Say to the king and to the mistress: Make yourselves low — sit still, For come down have your principalities, The crown of your beauty.

19 The cities toward the south were shut, and there was none to open [them]: Juda is removed [into captivity, ]they have suffered a complete removal.

The cities of the south have been shut up, And there is none opening, Judah hath been removed — all of her, She hath been removed completely —

20 Lift up thine eyes, O Jerusalem, and behold them that come from the north; where is the flock that was given thee, the sheep of thy glory?

Lift up your eyes, and see those coming in from the north, Where [is] the drove given to thee, thy beautiful flock?

21 What wilt thou say when they shall visit thee, for thou didst teach them lessons for rule against thyself; shall not pangs seize thee as a woman in travail?

What dost thou say, when He looketh after thee? And thou — thou hast taught them [to be] over thee — leaders for head? Do not pangs seize thee as a travailing woman?

22 And if thou shouldest say in thine heart, Wherefore have these things happened to me? Because of the abundance of thine iniquity have thy skirts been discovered, that thine heels might be exposed.

And when thou dost say in thy heart, 'Wherefore have these met me?' For the abundance of thine iniquity Have thy skirts been uncovered, Have thy heels suffered violence.

23 If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall ye be able to do good, having learnt evil.

Doth a Cushite change his skin? and a leopard his spots? Ye also are able to do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

24 So I scattered them as sticks carried by the wind into the wilderness.

And I scatter them as stubble, Passing away, by a wind of the wilderness.

25 Thus is thy lot, and the reward of your disobedience to me, saith the Lord; as thou didst forget me, and trust in lies,

This [is] thy lot, the portion of thy measures from Me — an affirmation of Jehovah, Because thou hast forgotten me, And dost trust in falsehood.

26 I also will expose thy skirts upon thy face, and thy shame shall be seen;

I also have made bare thy skirts before thy face, And thy shame hath been seen.

27 thine adultery also, and thy neighing, and the looseness of thy fornication: on the hills and in the fields I have seen thine abominations. Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, for thou hast not been purified so as to follow me; how long yet [shall it be]?

Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, The wickedness of thy whoredom, on heights in a field, I have seen thine abominations. Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, Thou art not cleansed, after when [is it] again?