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Jeremiah's Linen Shorts

13 The Lord told me, “Go and buy a pair of linen shorts. Wear them for a while, but don't wash them.” So I bought a pair of shorts and put them on.

Then the Lord said, “Take off the shorts. Go to Parah[a] and hide the shorts in a crack between some large rocks.” And that's what I did.

Some time later the Lord said, “Go back and get the shorts.” I went back and dug the shorts out of their hiding place, but the cloth had rotted, and the shorts were ruined.

Then the Lord said:

Jeremiah, I will use Babylonia to[b] destroy the pride of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 10 The people of Judah are evil and stubborn. So instead of listening to me, they do whatever they want and even worship other gods. When I am finished with these people, they will be good for nothing, just like this pair of shorts. 11 These shorts were tight around your waist, and that's how tightly I held onto the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I wanted them to be my people. I wanted to make them famous, so that other nations would praise and honor me, but they refused to obey me.

Wine Jars

The Lord said:

12 Jeremiah, tell the people of Judah, “The Lord God of Israel orders you to fill your wine jars with wine.”

They will answer, “Of course we fill our wine jars with wine! Why are you telling us something we already know?”

13 Then say to them:

I am the Lord, and what I'm going to do will make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem appear to be full of wine. And the worst ones will be the kings of David's family and the priests and the prophets. 14 Then I will smash them against each other like jars. I will have no pity on the young or the old, and they will all be destroyed. I, the Lord, have spoken.

The People of Judah Will Be Taken Away

15 People of Judah,
don't be too proud to listen
    to what the Lord has said.
16 You hope for light,
    but God is sending darkness.
Evening shadows already deepen
    in the hills.
So return to God
and confess your sins to him
    before you trip and fall.
17 If you are too proud to listen,
    I will weep alone.
Tears will stream from my eyes
when the Lord's people
    are taken away as prisoners.

18 The Lord told me to tell you
that your king and his mother[c]
    must surrender their thrones
    and remove their crowns.[d]
19 The cities in the Southern Desert
are surrounded;
    no one can get in or out.
Everyone in Judah
    will be taken away.
20 Jerusalem, you were so proud
of ruling the people of Judah.
    But where are they now?

Look north, and you will see
    your enemies approaching.
21 You once trusted them to help,
but now I'll let them rule you.[e]
    What do you say about that?
You will be in pain
    like a woman giving birth.

22 Do you know why
your clothes were torn off
    and you were abused?
It was because
    of your terrible sins.
23 Can you ever change
    and do what's right?
Can people change the color
    of their skin,
or can a leopard
    remove its spots?
If so, then maybe you can change
    and learn to do right.

24 I will scatter you,
    just as the desert wind
blows husks from grain
    tossed in the air.
25 I won't change my mind.
    I, the Lord, have spoken.

You rejected me
    and worshiped false gods.
* 26 You were married to me,
    but you were unfaithful.
You even became a prostitute[f]
by worshiping disgusting gods
    on hilltops and in fields.
27 So I'll rip off your clothes
and leave you naked and ashamed
    for everyone to see.
You are doomed!
Will you ever be worthy
    to worship me again?

Footnotes

  1. 13.4 Parah: Or “the Euphrates River.” Parah was a village about nine kilometers northeast of Jerusalem.
  2. 13.9 I will use Babylonia to: Or “that's how I'm going to.”
  3. 13.18 mother: The king's mother usually had an important position in the royal court.
  4. 13.18 and remove their crowns: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  5. 13.21 You once … rule you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 13.26 prostitute: See the note at 2.20.

A Linen Belt

13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.

Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(A) “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[a](B) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(C)

Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(D) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(E) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(F) and go after other gods(G) to serve and worship them,(H) will be like this belt—completely useless!(I) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown(J) and praise and honor.(K) But they have not listened.’(L)

Wineskins

12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(M) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(N) or mercy or compassion(O) to keep me from destroying(P) them.’”

Threat of Captivity

15 Hear and pay attention,
    do not be arrogant,
    for the Lord has spoken.(Q)
16 Give glory(R) to the Lord your God
    before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(S)
    on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
    but he will turn it to utter darkness
    and change it to deep gloom.(T)
17 If you do not listen,(U)
    I will weep in secret
    because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
    overflowing with tears,(V)
    because the Lord’s flock(W) will be taken captive.(X)

18 Say to the king(Y) and to the queen mother,(Z)
    “Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(AA)
    will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
    and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(AB) will be carried into exile,
    carried completely away.

20 Look up and see
    those who are coming from the north.(AC)
Where is the flock(AD) that was entrusted to you,
    the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
    those you cultivated as your special allies?(AE)
Will not pain grip you
    like that of a woman in labor?(AF)
22 And if you ask yourself,
    “Why has this happened to me?”(AG)
it is because of your many sins(AH)
    that your skirts have been torn off(AI)
    and your body mistreated.(AJ)
23 Can an Ethiopian[b] change his skin
    or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
    who are accustomed to doing evil.(AK)

24 “I will scatter you like chaff(AL)
    driven by the desert wind.(AM)
25 This is your lot,
    the portion(AN) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(AO) me
    and trusted in false gods.(AP)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
    that your shame may be seen(AQ)
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
    your shameless prostitution!(AR)
I have seen your detestable acts
    on the hills and in the fields.(AS)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
    How long will you be unclean?”(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
  2. Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)