Jeremiah 13

Modern

Literal

The Linen Loincloth

¹This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”

¹Thus said YHWH to me: “Go and acquire for yourself a linen loincloth, and put it around your waist, and you shall not put it in the water.

²So I bought a loincloth in accordance with the word of the LORD, and I put it around my waist.

²And I acquired a loincloth, according to the word of YHWH, and I put it around my waist.

³Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time:

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

⁴“Take the loincloth that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to Perath^a and hide it there in a crevice of the rocks.”

⁴“Take the loincloth that you acquired, which is around your waist, and rise up, go to Perath, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.

⁵So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD had commanded me.

⁵And I went and hid it in Perath, as YHWH commanded me.

⁶Many days later the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to Perath, and get the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.”

⁶And it came to pass after many days that YHWH said to me: “Rise and go to Perath, and take from there the the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.

⁷So I went to Perath and dug up the loincloth, and I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined—of no use at all.

⁷And I went to Perath and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it there; and behold, the loincloth had been ruined, and it was not profitable for anything.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to me:

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

⁹“This is what the LORD says: In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

⁹Thus says YHWH: “In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

¹⁰These evil people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who go after other gods to serve and worship them, they will be like this loincloth—of no use at all.

¹⁰This evil people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubborness of their heart and walk after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, they shall even become like this loincloth, which is not profitable for anything!

¹¹For just as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I have made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to Me, declares the LORD, so that they might be My people for My renown and praise and glory. But they did not listen.

¹¹Indeed, as a loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made to cling to Me all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah, a declaration of YHWH, to become unto Me as people, and for renown, and for praise, and for glory! They would not listen.

The Wineskins

¹²Therefore you are to tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every wineskin shall be filled with wine.’

And when they reply, ‘Don’t we surely know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’

¹²And you shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says YHWH the God of Israel: Every bottle shall be filled with wine.’ And they will say to you ‘Do we not already know this, that every bottle will be filled with wine?

¹³then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem.

¹³And you shall say to them: ‘Thus says YHWH: Behold, I am going to fill all those dwelling in this land, and the kings sitting for David on his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all those dwelling in Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

¹⁴I will smash them against one another, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no mercy or pity or compassion to keep Me from destroying them.’”

¹⁴And I will dash them—a man against his brother, and the fathers and the sons together, a declaration of YHWH. I will not spare, and I will not have pity, and I will not have compassion to keep from destroying them.’”

Captivity Threatened

¹⁵Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant,

for the LORD has spoken.

¹⁵Listen and give ear! Do not be proud, for YHWH has spoken.

¹⁶Give glory to the LORD your God

before He brings darkness,

before your feet stumble

on the dusky mountains.

You wait for light,

but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

¹⁶Give glory to YHWH your God before He brings darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you are looking for light, and He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it thick darkness.

¹⁷But if you do not listen,

I will weep in secret because of your pride.

My eyes will overflow with tears,

because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.

¹⁷But if you will not listen, then in secret My soul will weep from the face of your pride, and will weep bitterly, and My eyes will flow with tears, because the flock of YHWH has been taken captive.

¹⁸Say to the king

and to the queen mother:

“Take a lowly seat,

for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads.”

¹⁸Say to the king and to the queen mother, “Humble yourselves, sit down! For from your heads have fallen the crown of your splendor!”

¹⁹The cities of the Negev have been shut tight,

and no one can open them.

All Judah has been carried into exile,

wholly taken captive.

¹⁹The cities of the Negev have been shut tight, and there is no one opening them; Judah has been removed, all of her—she has been removed completely!

²⁰Lift up your eyes and see

those coming from the north.

Where is the flock entrusted to you,

the sheep that were your pride?

²⁰Lift up your eyes, and see those coming from the north. Where is the flock He gave to you, your beautiful flock?

²¹What will you say when He sets over you

close allies whom you yourself trained?

Will not pangs of anguish grip you,

as they do a woman in labor?

²¹What will you say when He sets over you—and you had taught them to be allies with you—to be head? Will not pangs seize you like a woman in labor?

²²And if you ask yourself,

“Why has this happened to me?”

It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity

that your skirts have been stripped off

and your body has been exposed.^a

²²And if you should say in your heart, “Why have these things happened to me?—It is by the abundance of your iniquity that your skirts have been uncovered and your heels have suffered violence.

²³Can the Ethiopian^a change his skin,

or the leopard his spots?

Neither are you able to do good—

you who are accustomed to doing evil.

²³Can the Cushite change his skin, or the leopard its spots? Are you also able do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil.

²⁴“I will scatter you like chaff

driven by the desert wind.

²⁴“And I will scatter them like chaff that passes away by the wind of the wilderness.

²⁵This is your lot,

the portion I have measured to you,”

declares the LORD,

“because you have forgotten Me

and trusted in falsehood.

²⁵This is your lot, the portion of your measures from Me,” a declaration of YHWH, “Because you have forgotten Me and have trusted in falsehood!

²⁶So I will pull your skirts up over your face,

that your shame may be seen.

²⁶Therefore I will strip away your skirts over your face, that your shame may be seen—

²⁷Your adulteries and lustful neighings,

your shameless prostitution

on the hills and in the fields—

I have seen your detestable acts.

Woe to you, O Jerusalem!

How long will you remain unclean?”

²⁷I have seen your adulteries and your neighings, the wickedness of your prostitution! Your abominations upon the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! After how long will you not be made clean?”