Jeremiah 13

The Ruined Undergarment

1This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and 1buy yourself a linen undergarment and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2So I bought the undergarment 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 undergarment that you bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the 3Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, 4as the Lord had commanded me. 6After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the undergarment which I commanded you to hide there.” 7Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the undergarment from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the undergarment was ruined, it was completely useless.

8Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“This is what the Lord says: ‘To the same extent I will destroy the 5pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10This wicked people, who 6refuse to listen to My words, who 7walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have followed other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this undergarment which is completely useless. 11For as the undergarment clings to the waist of a man, so I made the entire household of Israel and the entire household of Judah 8cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that they might be My people, for 910renown, for 11praise, and for glory; but they 12did not listen.’

Captivity Threatened

12“Therefore you are to speak this word to them. ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “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, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to fill all the inhabitants of this land--the kings who sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem--with 13drunkenness! 14Then I will 14smash them against each other, both the 15fathers and the sons together,” declares the Lord. “I will 16not have compassion nor be troubled nor take pity so as to keep from destroying them.”’”

15Listen and pay attention, do not be 17haughty; For the Lord has spoken.1618Give glory to the Lord your God Before He brings 19darkness And before your 20feet stumble On the mountains in the dark, And while you are hoping for light He makes it into 21gloom, And turns it into thick darkness.17But 22if you do not listen to it, My soul will 23weep in secret for such pride; And my eyes will shed And stream down tears, Because the 24flock of the Lord has been taken captive.18Say to the 25king and the queen mother, “26Take a lowly seat, For your beautiful 27crown Has come down from your head.”19The 28cities of the Negev have been locked up, And there is no one to open them; All 29Judah has been taken into exile, Wholly taken into exile.

20“Raise your eyes and see Those coming 30from the north. Where is the 31flock that was given you, Your beautiful sheep?21What will you say when He appoints over you-- And you yourself had taught them-- Former 32companions to be head over you? Will 33sharp pains not take hold of you Like a woman in childbirth?22If you 34say in your heart, ‘35Why have these things happened to me?’ Because of the 36magnitude of your wrongdoing 37Your skirts have been removed And your 38heels have suffered violence.2339Can the Ethiopian change his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Then you as well can 40do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.24Therefore I will 41scatter them like drifting straw To the desert 42wind.25This is your 43lot, the portion measured to you From Me,” declares the Lord, “Because you have 44forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.26So I Myself have 45stripped your skirts off over your face, So that your shame will be seen.27As for your 46adulteries and your lustful neighings, The 47outrageous sin of your prostitution On the 48hills in the field, I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, Jerusalem! 49How long will you remain unclean?”