Jeremiah 13

1 Thus said YHWH to me: “Go, and you have acquired a girdle of linen for yourself, and have placed it on your loins, and you do not cause it to enter into water.”

Thus saith the LORD to me, Go and purchase a linen waistband, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

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

So I bought a waistband according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

3 And there is a word of YHWH to me a second time, saying,

And the word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying,

4 “Take the girdle that you have acquired, that [is] on your loins, and rise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock”;

Take the waistband that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.

5 and I go and hide it by the Euphrates, as YHWH commanded me.

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

6 And it comes to pass, at the end of many days, that YHWH says to me, “Rise, go to the Euphrates, and take the girdle there, that I commanded you to hide there”;

And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said to me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the waistband from there, which I commanded thee to hide there.

7 and I go to the Euphrates, and dig, and take the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and behold, the girdle has been marred, it is not profitable for anything.

Then I went to Euphrates, and dug, and took the waistband from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the waistband was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

8 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying, “Thus said YHWH:

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

9 Thus I mar the excellence of Judah, And the great excellence of Jerusalem.

Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 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, Indeed it is—as this girdle, that is not profitable for anything.

This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this waistband, which is good for nothing.

11 For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, So I caused to cleave to Me The whole house of Israel, And the whole house of Judah,” A declaration of YHWH, “To be to Me for a people, and for a name, And for praise, and for beauty, And they have not listened.

For as the waistband cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be to me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

12 And you have said this word to them, Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Every bottle is full of wine, And they have said to you: Do we not certainly know that every bottle is full of wine?

Therefore thou shalt speak to them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say to thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

13 And you have said to them, Thus said YHWH: Behold, 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,

Then shalt thou say to them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

14 And have dashed them against one another, And the fathers and the sons together,” A declaration of YHWH, “I do not pity, nor spare, nor do I have mercy, So as not to destroy them.”

And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

15 Hear, and give ear—do not be haughty, For YHWH has spoken.

Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

16 Give glory to your God YHWH, Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble on dark mountains, And you have waited for light, And He has made it for death-shade, And has appointed [it] for thick darkness.

Give glory to the LORD your God, before he shall cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he shall turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

17 And if you do not hear it, My soul weeps in secret places, because of pride, Indeed, it weeps and wails, And the tear comes down my eyes, For the flock of YHWH has been taken captive.

But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and my eye shall weep bitterly, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.

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

Say to the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.

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

The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.

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

Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

21 What do you say when He looks after you? And you have taught them [to be] over you—leaders for head? Do pangs not seize you as a travailing woman?

What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

22 And when you say in your heart, “Why have these met me?” For the abundance of your iniquity Have your skirts been uncovered, Have your heels suffered violence.

And if thou shalt say in thy heart, Why come these things upon me? For the greatness of thy iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, and thy heels made bare.

23 “Does a Cushite change his skin? And a leopard his spots? Can you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil?

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

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

Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.

25 This [is] your lot, the portion of your measures from Me,” A declaration of YHWH, “Because you have forgotten Me, And trust in falsehood.

This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

26 I have also made your skirts bare before your face, And your shame has been seen.

Therefore will I uncover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.

27 Your adulteries, and your neighings, The wickedness of your whoredom, on heights in a field, I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, O Jerusalem, You are not [yet] made clean—after when [will you be] again?”

I have seen thy adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy harlotry, and thy abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe to thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?