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Jeremiah 13

13 One day Yahweh said to me, “Go and buy a linen waistcloth. Put it on, but do not wash it.” 2 So I bought a waistcloth as Yahweh had instructed me to do and I put it on.

3 Then later Yahweh gave me another message. Yahweh said, 4 “Go to the Perath Stream near Jerusalem and hide your waistcloth that you bought, which is around your waist, in a hole in the large rocks there.” 5 So I went to the Perath Stream and hid my waistcloth there as Yahweh had instructed me to do.

6 A long time later, Yahweh said to me, “Go back to the Perath Stream and get the waistcloth that I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to the Perath Stream and dug out the waistcloth from the hole in which I had hidden it and it was ruined and useless. 8 Then Yahweh gave me this message: 9 “This is what I, Yahweh say, ‘In a similar way to how your waistcloth was ruined I will cause the things that the people of Jerusalem and the other places in Judah are very proud of to be ruined. 10 Those wicked people refuse to pay attention to what I say. They stubbornly do just what they desire to do; they worship other gods. Therefore, they will become completely useless, like your waistcloth. 11 For just like a waistcloth clings tightly to a man’s waist, I wanted the people of Israel and Judah to cling closely to me. I wanted them to be my people, people who would honor me, praise me, glorify me and cause the people of other nations to do the same. But they would not pay attention to me.

12 So, tell this to them: ‘Yahweh, the God whom you Israelite people worship, says that you should fill every jar with wine.’ And when you tell that to them, they will reply, ‘Of course we know that we should fill all of our jars with wine!’ 13 Then you must tell them, ‘No, that is not what Yahweh means. This is what he meant when he said that. He will certainly judge all the people of this land and cause them to be so confused that it will be as if they were drunk. That will include all of you—the kings who rule in succession of King David, the priests, the prophets, and all the common people who live in Jerusalem.’ 14 He is saying, ‘I will cause you to bash each other. Even parents will bash their children. I will not pity you or act mercifully toward you at all; so as not to punish you for your sins.’ ”

15 You people of Judah, pay very careful attention.

Do not be arrogant, because Yahweh has spoken to you.

16 It is as though he is ready to bring darkness on you

and to cause you to stumble and fall as you walk on the mountains when it is becoming dark.

So honor Yahweh your God before that happens.

If you do not do that, you will look eagerly for light,

but all you will see is darkness and gloom.

17 And if you still refuse to obey what he tells you to do,

I will cry when I am alone because of your prideful attitude.

My eyes will be filled with tears

because your enemies will capture you, Yahweh’s people,

whom he takes care of like a shepherd takes care of his flock,

and they will take you to other countries.

18 Yahweh instructed me, “Tell the king and his mother this message,

‘Come down from sitting on your thrones

and humbly sit on the ground in the dust,

because your enemies will soon snatch from your heads your glorious crowns.

19 The cities in the southern part of Judah will be surrounded by your enemies,

and the people in those cities will close the city gates. No one will be able to get through their lines to rescue the people in those cities.

Your enemies will capture you people of Judah and take you away;

they will take all of you away to foreign countries.’ ”

20 You leaders of Jerusalem, open your eyes and look:

the enemy armies are ready to march down from the north.

When that happens, bad things will happen to the people of Judah who are like a beautiful flock of sheep,

people that he gave to you to take care of!

21 You will not like it when Yahweh appoints people from other countries to rule over you,

people who you thought were your friends and whom you encouraged to be your allies.

You will suffer very much pain,

like a woman who is about to give birth to a baby.

22 And if you think, “Why has this happened to me?”

I will reply that it is because of your many sins.

That is why soldiers of the invading armies will lift up the skirts of your women and rape them.

23 A man from Ethiopia certainly cannot change the color of his black skin,

and a leopard certainly cannot change its spots.

Similarly, you cannot start doing what is good,

because you have become accustomed to doing evil things.

24 Yahweh says, “Because of you have sinned against me I will scatter you like chaff

that is blown away by wind from the wilderness.

25 That is what is certainly going to happen to you,

the things that I have determined will happen to you,

because you have forgotten me,

and you are trusting in false gods.

26 It is as though I myself will pull your skirts up over your faces

and cause you to be very ashamed because everyone will be able to see your private parts.

27 I have seen you commit adultery when you worship Baal.

You are like male horses that whinny when they desire to mate with a female horse.

I have seen your disgusting behavior as you act like prostitutes as you worship disgusting idols on the hills that are in the fields.

Woe to you, people of Jerusalem!

You must make yourselves acceptable to me again!”