Jeremiah 13

¹Thus says the Lord to me: “Go, and obtain for yourself a linen waistcloth. And you shall place it over your loins, and you shall not put it into water.”

²And so I obtained a waistcloth, according to the word of the Lord, and I placed it around my loins.

³And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying:

⁴“Take the waistcloth, which you obtained, which is around your loins, and, rising up, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in an opening of the rock.”

⁵And so I went, and I hid it by the Euphrates, just as the Lord had instructed me.

⁶And it happened that, after many days, the Lord said to me: “Rise up, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the waistcloth, which I instructed you to hide there.”

⁷And so I went to the Euphrates, and I dug up and took the waistcloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the waistcloth had rotted, so that it was not fit for any use.

⁸And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁹“Thus says the Lord: In the same way, I will cause the arrogance of Judah and the arrogance of Jerusalem to rot.

¹⁰This most wicked people, they are not willing to listen to my words, for they walk in the depravity of their own heart, and they have gone after strange gods, so as to serve them and to adore them. And so, they will become like this waistcloth, which is not fit for any use.

¹¹For just as the waistcloth clings to the loins of a man, so have I brought close to me the entire house of Israel and the entire house of Judah, says the Lord, so that they would be to me: a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory. But they did not listen.

¹²Therefore, you shall speak to them this word: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Every bottle will be filled with wine.’ And they will say to you: ‘Are we ignorant that every bottle will be filled with wine?’

¹³And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings from the stock of David who sit upon his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, unto inebriation.

¹⁴And I will scatter them, a man from his brother, and fathers and sons similarly, says the Lord. I will not spare them, and I will not pardon them, and I will not take pity, so as not to destroy them.”

¹⁵Hear and pay close attention. Do not choose to lift yourself up, for the Lord has spoken.

¹⁶Give glory to the Lord your God, before darkness falls, and before your feet stumble on the darkened mountains. You will expect light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death and into utter darkness.

¹⁷But if you will not listen to this, then my soul will weep in secret before the face of your pride. It will weep bitterly, and my eyes will flow with tears, because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive.

¹⁸“Say to the king and to the female ruler: Humble yourselves, sit down. For the crown of your glory has gone down from your head.

¹⁹The cities of the south have been closed, and there is no one who may open them. All of Judah has been taken away into complete captivity.

²⁰Lift up your eyes and see, you who are arriving from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you, your famous cattle?

²¹What will you say when he visits upon you? For you have taught them against you, and you have instructed them with your own head. Will not pains take hold of you, as with a woman in labor?

²²But if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ it is because of the greatness of your iniquity that your shame has been uncovered and the soles of your feet have been defiled.

²³If the Ethiopian is able to change his skin, or the leopard is able to change his spots, then you also may be able to do well, though you have learned evil.

²⁴And I will scatter them like chaff, which is carried away by the wind in the desert.

²⁵This is your lot, and this is the portion of your measure from me, says the Lord, because you have forgotten me, and you have had confidence in what is false.

²⁶Therefore, I have even bared your thighs before your face, and your shame has been seen.

²⁷For I have seen your adulteries, and your neighing for the wickedness of your fornication, and your abominations upon the hills in the field. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How much longer before you will be made clean after me?”

Jeremiah 13

¹Thus saith the Lord to me: Go, and get thee a linen girdle, and thou shalt put it about thy loins, and shalt not put it into water.

²And I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it about my loins.

³And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying:

⁴Take the girdle which thou hast got, which is about thy loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

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

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

⁷And I went to the Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle out of the place where I had hid it and behold the girdle was rotten, so that it was fit for no use.

⁸And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁹Thus saith the Lord: After this manner will I make the pride of Juda, and the great pride of Jerusalem to rot.

¹⁰This wicked people, that will not hear my words, and that walk in the perverseness of their heart, and have gone after strange gods to serve them, and to adore them: and they shall be as this girdle ,which is fit for no use.

¹¹For as the girdle sticketh close to the loins of a man, so have I brought close to me all the house of Israel, and all the house of Juda, saith the Lord: that they might be my people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

¹²Thou shalt speak therefore to them this word: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Every bottle shall be filled with wine. And they shall say to thee: Do we not know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

¹³And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings of the race of David that sit upon his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

¹⁴And I will scatter them every man from his brother, and fathers and sons in like manner, saith the Lord: I will not spare, and I will not pardon: nor will I have mercy, but to destroy them.

¹⁵Hear ye, and give ear: Be not proud, for the Lord hath spoken.

¹⁶Give ye glory to the Lord your God, before it be dark, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains: you shall look for light, and he will turn it into the shadow of death, and into darkness.

¹⁷But if you will not hear this, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride: weeping it shall weep, and my eyes shall run down with tears, because the flock of the Lord is carried away captive.

¹⁸Say to the king, and to the queen: Humble yourselves, sit down: for the crown of your glory is come down from your head.

¹⁹The cities of the south are shut up, and there is none to open them: all Juda is carried away captive with an entire captivity.

²⁰Lift up your eyes, and see, you that come from the north: where is the flock that is given thee, thy beautiful cattle?

²¹What wilt thou say when he shall visit thee? for thou hast taught them against thee, and instructed them against thy own head: shall not sorrows lay hold on thee, as a woman in labour?

²²And if thou shalt say in thy heart: Why are these things come upon me? For the greatness of thy iniquity, thy nakedness is discovered, the soles of thy feet are defiled.

²³If the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots: you also may do well, when you have learned evil.

²⁴And I will scatter them as stubble, which is carried away by the wind in the desert.

²⁵This is thy lot, and the portion of thy measure from me, saith the Lord, because thou hast forgotten me, and hast trusted in falsehood.

²⁶Wherefore I have also bared thy thighs against thy face, and thy shame hath appeared.

²⁷I have seen thy adulteries, and thy neighing, the wickedness of thy fornication: and thy abominations, upon the hills in the field. Woe to thee, Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean after me: how long yet?