Jeremiah 13

Linen Underwear

¹This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen undergarment ^a and put it on. ^b But do not put it in water.” ²So I bought underwear as the Lord instructed me and put it on.

³Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: ⁴“Take the underwear that you bought and are wearing, ^c and go at once to the Euphrates ^d and hide it in a rocky crevice.” ^{e 5}So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.

⁶A long time later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to the Euphrates and get the underwear that I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hidden it, but it was ruined #— #of no use at all.

⁸Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹“This is what the Lord says: Just like this I will ruin the great pride of both Judah and Jerusalem. ^{f 10}These evil people, who refuse to listen to me, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, ^g and who have followed other gods to serve and bow in worship #— #they will be like this underwear, of no use at all. ¹¹Just as underwear clings to one’s waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel and of Judah to me” ^h #— #this is the Lord’s declaration #— #“so that they might be my people for my fame, praise, and glory, ⁱ but they would not obey.

The Wine Jars

¹²“Say this to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every jar should be filled with wine.’ Then they will respond to you, ‘Don’t we know that every jar should be filled with wine? ’ ¹³And you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to fill all who live in this land #— #the kings who reign for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the residents of Jerusalem #— #with drunkenness. ¹⁴I will smash them against each other, fathers and sons alike #— #this is the Lord’s declaration. I will allow no mercy, pity, or compassion to keep me from destroying them.’ ” ^j

The Lord’s Warning

¹⁵Listen and pay attention. Do not be proud,

for the Lord has spoken.

¹⁶Give glory to the Lord your God ^k

before he brings darkness,

before your feet stumble

on the mountains at dusk.

You wait for light,

but he brings darkest gloom ^l

and makes total darkness.

¹⁷But if you will not listen,

my innermost being will weep in secret

because of your pride.

My eyes will overflow with tears,

for the Lord’s flock ^m has been taken captive.

¹⁸Say to the king and the queen mother: ⁿ

Take a humble seat,

for your glorious crowns

have fallen from your heads.

¹⁹The cities of the Negev are under siege;

no one can help them.

All of Judah has been taken into exile,

taken completely into exile.

²⁰Look up and see

those coming from the north. ^o

Where is the flock entrusted to you,

the sheep that were your pride?

The Destiny of Jerusalem

²¹What will you say when he appoints

close friends as leaders over you,

ones you yourself trained?

Won’t labor pains seize you, ^p

as they do a woman in labor?

²²And when you ask yourself,

“Why have these things happened to me? ”

it is because of your great guilt ^q

that your skirts have been stripped off, ^r

your body exposed. ^s

²³Can the Cushite change his skin,

or a leopard his spots?

If so, you might be able to do what is good, ^t

you who are instructed in evil.

²⁴I will scatter you ^u like drifting chaff ^v

before the desert wind.

²⁵This is your lot,

what I have decreed for you —

this is the Lord’s declaration —

because you have forgotten me ^w

and trusted in lies. ^x

²⁶I will pull your skirts up over your face

so that your shame might be seen. ^y

²⁷Your adulteries and your lustful neighing, ^z

your depraved prostitution

on the hills, in the fields —

I have seen your abhorrent acts.

Woe to you, Jerusalem!

You are unclean —

for how long yet? ^aa