Jeremiah 13
A Linen Belt Buried and Ruined
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The Linen Waistcloth
13:1Thus says the Lord: Go, acquire a linen waistcloth for yourself, and put it around your waist, and it shall not pass through water.
13:2And I acquired the waistcloth according to the Lord’s word and put it around my waist.
13:3And the Lord’s word came to me, saying:
13:4Take the waistcloth around your waist, and rise and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in the rock’s opening.
13:5And I went and hid it at the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
13:6And after many days the Lord said to me: Rise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the waistcloth that I commanded you to hide there.
13:7And I went to the Euphrates River and dug and took the waistcloth from the place where I had buried it. And look, it was ruined, so that it could certainly be used for nothing.
13:8And the Lord’s word came to me, saying:
Thus I Will Ruin Judah’s Arrogance
13:9Thus says the Lord: Thus I will ruin Judah’s arrogance and Jerusalem’s arrogance,
13:10this great arrogance, those unwilling to obey My words and who went after foreign gods to serve them and bow down to them; and they will be like this waistcloth, which will be used for nothing.
13:11For just as the waistcloth clings around a man’s waist, so I made Israel’s house and all Judah’s house cling to Myself, to become for Me a renowned people, a boast and a glory; and they did not listen to Me.
13:12And you shall say to this people: Every wineskin will be filled with wine. And if they say to you, ‘Do we not surely know that every wineskin will be filled with wine?’
Every Vessel Filled with Drunkenness
13:13then you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am filling those dwelling in this land, and their kings, David’s sons who sit on his throne, and the priests and prophets and Judah and all those dwelling in Jerusalem, with intoxication,
13:14and I will scatter them, a man and his brother, their fathers and their sons together. I will not yearn for them, says the Lord, nor spare nor pity them so as to withhold their destruction.
Hear and Give Ear
13:15Hear and give ear, and do not exalt yourselves, because the Lord has spoken.
13:16Give glory to the Lord your God before darkness comes and before your feet stumble on dark mountains; you will wait for light, and there is death’s shadow, and they will be placed in darkness.
13:17But if you do not hear, your soul will weep in secret because of arrogance, and your eyes will bring down tears, because the Lord’s flock was crushed.
13:18Say to the king and those exercising power: Humble yourselves and sit down, because your crown of glory was taken down from your head.
13:19The southern cities were shut, and there was no one opening them. Judah was deported; a complete deportation was accomplished.
13:20Lift your eyes, Jerusalem, and see those coming from the north. Where is the flock given to you, the sheep of your glory?
Jerusalem’s Shame Uncovered
13:21What will you say when they visit you? And you taught them lessons against yourself for rule. Will not labor pains hold you like a woman giving birth?
13:22And if you say in your heart, ‘Why did these things meet me?’ because of your great injustice your backside was uncovered, so that your heels were put on display.
Can an Ethiopian Change His Skin?
13:23If an Ethiopian changes his skin and a leopard her markings, then you too will be able to do well, having learned evil things.
13:24And I scattered them like brushwood carried by wind into a wilderness.
13:25This is your lot and portion for your disobeying Me, says the Lord, because you forgot Me and hoped in falsehoods.
13:26And I will uncover your backside over your face, and your dishonor will be seen.
13:27And your adultery and your neighing and the estrangement of your prostitution—on the hills and in the fields I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, Jerusalem, because you were not cleansed after Me! How much longer?
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.