Yirmeyahu 13 ירמיהו י״ג

Thus says the Lord to me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put in on my loins.

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

Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Perat, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

So I went, and hid it in Perat, as the Lord commanded me.

And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said to me, Arise, go to Perat, and take from there the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there.

Then I went to Perat, and dug, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was spoilt, it was profitable for nothing.

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

Thus says the Lord, After this manner will I spoil the pride of Yehuda, and the great pride of Yerushalayim.

This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and go after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I caused the whole house of Yisra᾽el and the whole house of Yehuda, to cleave to me, says the Lord; that they might be to me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

Therefore thou shalt speak to them this word; Thus says the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, Every bottle shall be filled with wine; and when they shall say to thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

then shalt thou say to them, Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings of the house of David that sit upon his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, with drunkenness.

And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, says the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

Hear, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord has spoken.

Give glory to the Lord your God, before it grows dark, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight, and, while you look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

But if you will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and my eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.

Say to the king and to the queen mother, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your glorious crown has fallen from your head.

The cities of the Negev shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Yehuda shall be carried away captive entirely, it shall be wholly carried away captive.

Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be thy captains, as chief over thee: shall not pangs take hold of thee, as a woman in travail?

And if thou say in thy heart, Why come these things upon me? For the greatness of thy iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, and thy heels made bare.

Can the Kushite change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness.

This is thy lot, the portion I have measured out to thee, says the Lord; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

Therefore will I strip thy skirts about thy face, that thy shame may be seen.

I have seen thy adulteries, and thy neighings, thy disgusting harlotry, and thy abominable idols on the hills in the field. Woe to thee, O Yerushalayim! wilt thou not be made clean? How much longer will it be?