Jeremiah 13

1 Thus sayth the Lord vnto mee, Goe, and buy thee a linen girdle, and put it vpon thy loynes, and put it not in water.

This is what the Lord said to me: Go and get yourself a linen band and put it round you and do not put it in water.

2 So I bought the girdle according to the commandement of the Lord, and put it vpon my loynes.

So, as the Lord said, I got a band for a price and put it round my body.

3 And the worde of the Lord came vnto me the second time, saying,

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

4 Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is vpon thy loynes, and arise, goe towarde Perath, and hide it there in the cleft of the rocke.

Take the band which you got for a price, which is round your body, and go to Parah and put it in a secret place there in a hole of the rock.

5 So I went, and hid it by Perath, as the Lord had commanded me.

So I went and put it in a secret place by Parah, as the Lord had said to me.

6 And after many dayes, the Lord sayde vnto mee, Arise, goe towarde Perath, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

Then after a long time, the Lord said to me, Up! go to Parah and get the band which I gave you orders to put there.

7 Then went I to Perath, and digged, and tooke the girdle from the place where I had hid it, and behold, the girdle was corrupt, and was profitable for nothing.

So I went to Parah and, uncovering the hole, took the band from the place where I had put it away: and the band was damaged and of no use for anything.

8 Then the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 Thus sayth the Lord, After this maner will I destroy the pride of Iudah, and the great pride of Ierusalem.

The Lord has said, In this way I will do damage to the pride of Judah and to the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 This wicked people haue refused to heare my word, and walke after ye stubbernesse of their owne heart, and walke after other gods to serue them, and to worship them: therefore they shalbe as this girdle, which is profitable to nothing.

These evil people who say they will not give ear to my words, who go on in the pride of their hearts and have become servants and worshippers of other gods, will become like this band which is of no use for anything.

11 For as the girdle cleaueth to the loynes of a man, so haue I tied to me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Iudah, saith the Lord, that they might bee my people: that they might haue a name and prayse, and glory, but they would not heare.

For as a band goes tightly round a man's body, so I made all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah tightly united to me; so that they might be a people for me and a name and a praise and a glory: but they would not give ear.

12 Therefore thou shalt saye vnto them this word, Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel, Euery bottell shalbe filled with wine, and they shall say vnto thee, Doe we not knowe that euery bottell shalbe filled with wine?

So you are to say this word to them: This is the word of the Lord, the God of Israel: Every skin bottle will be full of wine; and they will say to you, Is it not quite clear to us that every skin bottle will be full of wine?

13 Then shalt thou say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, euen the Kings that sit vpon the throne of Dauid, and the Priestes and the Prophets and all the inhabitantes of Ierusalem with drunkennesse.

Then you are to say to them, The Lord has said, I will make all the people of this land, even the kings seated on David's seat, and the priests and the prophets and all the people of Jerusalem, overcome with strong drink.

14 And I wil dash them one against another, euen the fathers and the sonnes together, sayeth the Lord: I will not spare, I will not pitie nor haue compassion, but destroy them.

I will have them smashed against one another, fathers and sons together, says the Lord: I will have no pity or mercy, I will have no feeling for them to keep me from giving them to destruction.

15 Heare and giue eare, be not proude: for the Lord hath spoken it.

Give ear and let your ears be open; be not lifted up: for these are the words of the Lord.

16 Giue glory to the Lord your God before he bring darknes, and or euer your feete stumble in the darke mountaines, and whiles you look for light, he turne it into the shadowe of death and make it as darkenesse.

Give glory to the Lord your God, before he makes it dark, and before your feet are slipping on the dark mountains, and, while you are looking for a light, he makes it into deep dark, into black night.

17 But if ye will not heare this, my soule shall weepe in secrete for your pride, and mine eye shall weepe and drop downe teares, because the Lords flocke is caried away captiue.

But if you do not give ear to it, my soul will be weeping in secret for your pride; my eye will be weeping bitterly, streaming with water, because the Lord's flock has been taken away as prisoners.

18 Say vnto the King and to the Queene, Humble yourselues, sit downe, for the crowne of your glory shall come downe from your heads.

Say to the king and to the queen-mother, Make yourselves low, be seated on the earth: for the crown of your glory has come down from your heads.

19 The cities of the South shall be shut vp, and no man shall open them: all Iudah shall be caried away captiue: it shall be wholy caried away captiue.

The towns of the south are shut up, and there is no one to make them open: Judah is taken away as prisoners; all Judah is taken away as prisoners.

20 Lift vp your eyes and beholde them that come from the North: where is the flocke that was giuen thee, euen thy beautifull flocke?

Let your eyes be lifted up (O Jerusalem), and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock which was given to you, your beautiful flock?

21 What wilt thou saye, when hee shall visite thee? (for thou hast taught them to be captaines and as chiefe ouer thee) shall not sorow take thee as a woman in trauaile?

What will you say when he puts over you those whom you yourself have made your friends? will not pains take you like a woman in childbirth?

22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things vpon me? For the multitude of thine iniquities are thy skirts discouered and thy heeles made bare.

And if you say in your heart, Why have these things come on me? because of the number of your sins, your skirts have been uncovered and violent punishment overtakes you.

23 Can the blacke More change his skin? or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do euill.

Is it possible for the skin of the Ethiopian to be changed, or the markings on the leopard? Then it might be possible for you to do good, who have been trained to do evil.

24 Therefore will I scatter them, as the stubble that is taken away with the South winde.

So I will send them in all directions, as dry grass is taken away by the wind of the waste land.

25 This is thy portion, and ye part of thy measures from me, sayth the Lord, because thou hast forgotten me and trusted in lyes.

This is your fate, the part measured out to you by me, says the Lord, because you have put me out of your memory and put your faith in what is false.

26 Therefore I haue also discouered thy skirts vpon thy face, that thy shame may appeare.

So I will have your skirts uncovered before your face, in order that your shame may be seen.

27 I haue seene thine adulteries, and thy neiings, the filthinesse of thy whoredome on the hils in the fieldes, and thine abominations. Wo vnto thee, O Ierusalem: wilt thou not bee made cleane? when shall it once be?

I have seen your disgusting acts, even your false behaviour and your cries of desire and your loose ways on the hills in the field. Unhappy are you, O Jerusalem, you have no desire to be made clean; how long will you be in turning back to me?