Jeremiah 13

The Ruined Waistband

1Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and 1buy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2So I bought the waistband in accordance with the 2word of the Lord and put it around my waist. 3Then 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 3the 4Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, 5as the Lord had commanded me. 6After 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.” 7Then 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.

8Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the 6pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10This wicked people, who 7refuse to listen to My words, who 8walk 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. 11For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah 9cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for 1011renown, for 12praise and for glory; but they 13did 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?’ 13then 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 14drunkenness! 14I will 15dash them against each other, both the 16fathers and the sons together,” declares the Lord. “I will 17not show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion so as not to destroy them.”’”

15Listen and give heed, do not be 18haughty, For the Lord has spoken.1619Give glory to the Lord your God, Before He brings 20darkness And before your 21feet stumble On the dusky mountains, And while you are hoping for light He makes it into 22deep darkness, And turns it into gloom.17But 23if you will not listen to it, My soul will 24sob in secret for such pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the 25flock of the Lord has been taken captive.18Say to the 26king and the queen mother, “27Take a lowly seat, For your beautiful 28crown Has come down from your head.”19The 29cities of the Negev have been locked up, And there is no one to open them; All 30Judah has been carried into exile, Wholly carried into exile.

20“Lift up your eyes and see Those coming 31from the north. Where is the 32flock that was given you, Your beautiful sheep?21What will you say when He appoints over you-- And you yourself had taught them-- Former 3334companions to be head over you? Will not 35pangs take hold of you Like a woman in childbirth?22If you 36say in your heart, ‘37Why have these things happened to me?’ Because of the 38magnitude of your iniquity 39Your skirts have been removed And your heels have 40been exposed.2341Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can 42do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.24Therefore I will 43scatter them like drifting straw To the desert 44wind.25This is your 45lot, the portion measured to you From Me,” declares the Lord, “Because you have 46forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.26So I Myself have also 47stripped your skirts off over your face, That your shame may be seen.27As for your 48adulteries and your lustful neighings, The 49lewdness of your prostitution On the 50hills in the field, I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! 51How long will you remain unclean?”