The Linen Loincloth

13 Thus Yahweh said to me: “Go and buy for yourself a loincloth of linen and put it on your loins, but you must not place[fn] it in water.” 2 So I bought the loincloth according to the word of Yahweh and I put it[fn] on my loins.

3 Now the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying,[fn] 4 “Take the loincloth that you bought, that is on your loins, and stand up, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in the cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates just as Yahweh had commanded me.

6 And then,[fn] after a long time,[fn] then Yahweh said to me, “Stand up, go to the Euphrates and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and I dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it, and look, the loincloth was ruined; it was not good for anything.

8 And then[fn] the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,[fn] 9 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘So I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to listen to my words, who go[fn] in the stubbornness of their hearts,[fn] and have gone after other gods, to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, let them be like this loincloth which is not good for anything. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the loins of a person, so I caused to cling to me all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah,’ declares[fn] Yahweh, ‘to be for me a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.’

12 “Therefore, you shall say to them this word, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: “Every jar must be filled with wine.” ’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every jar should be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Look, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings who sit on David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness. 14 And I will smash them, each one against his brother, and the fathers and the sons together,” declares[fn] Yahweh. “I will not have compassion, and I will not take pity, and I will not show compassion from destroying them.” ’ ”

• 15 you must not be haughty, for Yahweh has spoken.
• 16 [fn] he brings darkness, and[fn] your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight.
• And you will hope for light, but he makes it as gloom,
  • he makes it[fn] as thick darkness.
  • 17 my inner self[fn] will weep in secret places,
  • because of[fn] your pride.
• And my eyes[fn] will weep bitterly,
  • and they will melt in tears,
  • because the flock of Yahweh has been taken captive.