JEREMIAH 13-15

¹ This is what Jehovah told me: “Go and buy a linen belt for yourself and put it around your waist, but do not dip it in water.”

² So I bought the belt according to the word of Jehovah and put it around my waist.

³ And the word of Jehovah came to me a second time:

⁴ “Take the belt that you bought and are wearing and get up, go to the Eu·phraʹtes, and hide it there in a cleft of the crag.”

⁵ So I went and hid it by the Eu·phraʹtes, just as Jehovah had commanded me.

⁶ But many days later Jehovah said to me: “Get up, go to the Eu·phraʹtes, and take from there the belt that I commanded you to hide there.”

⁷ So I went to the Eu·phraʹtes and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, and I saw that the belt had been ruined; it was completely useless.

⁸ Then the word of Jehovah came to me:

⁹ “This is what Jehovah says, ‘In the same way I will destroy the pride of Judah and the immense pride of Jerusalem.

¹⁰ These evil people who refuse to obey my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart, and who are following other gods, serving and bowing down to them, will become just like this belt that is completely useless.’

¹¹ ‘For just as a belt clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me,’ declares Jehovah, ‘to become to me a people, a name, a praise, and something beautiful. But they did not obey.’

¹² “And you must also give this message to them, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: “Every large jar should be filled with wine.”’ And they will reply to you, ‘Do we not already know that every large jar should be filled with wine?’

¹³ Then say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am filling with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land, the kings sitting on the throne of David, the priests and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

¹⁴ And I will smash them against each other, fathers and sons alike,” declares Jehovah. “I will not show compassion or feel any sorrow or have any mercy on them; nothing will stop me from bringing them to ruin.”’

¹⁵ Do not be haughty, for Jehovah has spoken.

¹⁶ He will turn it into thick gloom.

¹⁷ Because the flock of Jehovah has been carried away captive.

¹⁸ For your beautiful crown will fall from your head.’

¹⁹ All of Judah has been taken into exile, taken completely into exile.

²⁰ Where is the flock you were given, your beautiful sheep?

²¹ Will not birth pains seize you, like those of a woman giving birth?

²² And your heels have been treated violently.

²³ You who are trained to do bad.

²⁴ So I will scatter them like straw blown by the desert wind.

²⁵ “Because you have forgotten me and you trust in lies.

²⁶ And your shame will be seen,

²⁷ How much longer will you remain unclean?”

¹ This is the word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:

² And a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

³ And they cover their heads.

⁴ The farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.

⁵ Because there is no grass.

⁶ Their eyes fail because there is no vegetation.

⁷ And it is against you that we have sinned.

⁸ Like a traveler who stops only to spend the night?

⁹ Do not abandon us.

¹⁰ This is what Jehovah says concerning this people: “They love to wander about; they have not restrained their feet. So Jehovah finds no pleasure in them. Now he will remember their error and call them to account for their sins.”

¹¹ Then Jehovah said to me: “Do not pray for good to come to this people.

¹² When they fast, I do not listen to their entreaties, and when they offer whole burnt offerings and grain offerings, I take no pleasure in them, for by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, I will do away with them.”

¹³ At this I said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and famine will not come upon you, but I will give you true peace in this place.’”

¹⁴ Jehovah then said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or commanded them or spoken to them. A lying vision and a worthless divination and the deceit of their own heart is what they are prophesying to you.

¹⁵ Therefore this is what Jehovah says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in my name, though I did not send them, and who say that no sword or famine will occur in this land: ‘By sword and by famine those prophets will perish.

¹⁶ And the people to whom they are prophesying will be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, with no one to bury them —them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters—for I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.’

¹⁷ With an extremely severe wound.

¹⁸ For both the prophet and the priest have gone around in a land that they do not know.’”

¹⁹ For a time of healing, but there is terror!

²⁰ For we have sinned against you.

²¹ Remember, and do not break your covenant with us.

²² For you alone have done all these things.

¹ Then Jehovah said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing before me, I would show no favor toward this people. Drive them out from before me. Let them go.

² And whoever is for the captivity, to the captivity!”’

³ “‘And I will appoint over them four calamities,’ declares Jehovah, ‘the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy.

⁴ And I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Ma·nasʹseh the son of Hez·e·kiʹah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

⁵ And who will stop to ask about your welfare?’

⁶ I am tired of feeling pity for you.

⁷ Since they refuse to turn back from their ways.

⁸ I will bring agitation and terror upon them suddenly.

⁹ I will give to the sword before their enemies,’ declares Jehovah.”

¹⁰ But all of them curse me.

¹¹ In the time of distress against the enemy.

¹² Iron from the north, and copper?

¹³ Not for a price, but because of all your sins throughout all your territories.

¹⁴ And it is burning against you.”

¹⁵ Know that for your sake I bear this reproach.

¹⁶ For your name has been called on me, O Jehovah God of armies.

¹⁷ For you have filled me with indignation.

¹⁸ That cannot be relied on?

¹⁹ But you will not turn to them.”

²⁰ For I am with you, to save you and to rescue you,” declares Jehovah.

²¹ And redeem you from the palm of the ruthless.”