Jeremiah 13

1 Thus, said Yahweh unto me, —Go and buy for thyself a linen girdle, and put upon thy loins, —but in water, shalt thou not place it.

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 a girdle according to the word of Yahweh, —and put upon my loins.

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

3 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me second time saying:

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

4 Take the girdle which thou hast bought which is upon thy loins, —and arise go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the cliff.

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 the Euphrates, as Yahweh had commanded me.

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

6 And it came to pass, at the end of many days, —that Yahweh said unto me, —Arise go to the Euphrates, and take from thence the girdle, 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 So I went to the Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle out of the place where I had hidden it, —and lo! the girdle was spoiled, it was good 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 came the word of Yahweh unto me saying:

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

9 Thus, saith Yahweh, —After this manner, will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

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 who are refusing to hear my words, who are walking in the stubbornness of their heart, and have gone after other gods, to serve them and to bow down to them, yea let them be like this girdle, which is good for 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 a girdle cleaveth unto the loins of a man, so caused I to cleave unto me—the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah Declareth Yahweh, to become mine—For a people, and For a name, and For a praise and For an adorning, —but they hearkened not.

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 shalt thou say unto them this word—Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, Every jar, is to be filled with wine; and they will say unto thee, Do we not, know well, that every jar, is to be 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 unto them—Thus, saith Yahweh—Behold me! filling all the inhabitants of this land Even the kings that are sitting for David upon his throne and the priests and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness;

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 will dash them every man against his brother even the fathers and the sons together, Declareth Yahweh, —I will not pity, Neither will I spare, Neither will I have compassion, that I should not 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 Hear ye and give ear, be not haughty, —For Yahweh, hath spoken.

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

16 Give ye to Yahweh your God—glory, Before he cause darkness, and Before your feet stumble upon the twilight mountains; Lest, when ye wait for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, And change it for thick darkness.

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 hear it, In secret places, shall my soul weep Because of the pride, And mine eye, shall flow over, and run down with tears, Because captive hath been taken the flock of Yahweh.

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 thou to the king and to the queen-mother, Abase yourselves—Sit down, —For descended have your Head-tires, your Crown of adornment.

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, are shut And there is none to open, —Judah hath been carried away captive, She hath altogether been carried away captive in full number.

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 up your eyes and see Them who are coming in from the North, —Where is The flock that was given thee, Thy beautiful flock?

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 say when he shall bring punishment upon thee, Since, thou thyself, hast accustomed them to be over thee as friends in chief? Shall not, pangs, seize thee, as of a woman in childbirth?

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 But if thou say in thy heart, Wherefore have these things befallen me? For the greatness of thine iniquity have Thy skirts been turned aside Thy heels suffered violence!

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 Ethiopian change, his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Even, ye, may be able to do right, Who are accustomed to do wrong.

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 have I scattered them, As broken straw passing away, by the wind of the desert.

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 lot Thy measured portion from me, Declareth Yahweh; For that thou didst forget me, And confide in falsehood:

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, even I myself, have drawn away thy skirts, over thy face, And thy shame hath been seen,

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

27 Thine adulteries and thy neighings, thine unchaste wickedness, Upon the hills in the field, I have seen thine abominations! Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, Wilt thou not become pure? After how long yet?

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?