13. 1 This is
what the Lord said to me£º "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on,
but do not wash it." 2 So I
bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on. 3 Then
the Lord gave me another message£º 4
"Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River.
Hide it there in a hole in the rocks." 5 So I
went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me. 6 A long
time afterward the Lord said to me, "Go back to the Euphrates and get the
loincloth I told you to hide there." 7 So I
went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now
it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing. 8 Then I
received this message from the Lord£º 9
"This is what the Lord says£º This shows how I will rot away the pride of
Judah and Jerusalem. 10 These
wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires
and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth - good
for nothing! 11 As a
loincloth clings to a man's waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to
me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory - an honor to
my name. But they would not listen to me. 12 "So
tell them, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says£º May all your jars
be filled with wine.' And they will reply, 'Of course! Jars are made to be
filled with wine!' 13
"Then tell them, 'No, this is what the Lord means£º I will fill everyone
in this land with drunkenness - from the king sitting on David's throne to the
priests and the prophets, right down to the common people of Jerusalem. 14 I will
smash them against each other, even parents against children, says the Lord. I
will not let my pity or mercy or compassion keep me from destroying
them.'" 15 Listen
and pay attention! Do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken. 16 Give
glory to the Lord your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he
brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening
mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible
darkness and gloom. 17 And if
you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride. My eyes
will overflow with tears, because the Lord's flock will be led away into exile. 18 Say to
the king and his mother, "Come down from your thrones and sit in the dust,
for your glorious crowns will soon be snatched from your heads." 19 The
towns of the Negev will close their gates, and no one will be able to open
them. The people of Judah will be taken away as captives. All will be carried
into exile. 20 Open
up your eyes and see the armies marching down from the north! Where is your
flock - your beautiful flock - that he gave you to care for? 21 What
will you say when the Lord takes the allies you have cultivated and appoints
them as your rulers? Pangs of anguish will grip you, like those of a woman in
labor! 22 You
may ask yourself, "Why is all this happening to me?" It is because of
your many sins! That is why you have been stripped and raped by invading
armies. 23 Can an
Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots?
Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil. 24
"I will scatter you like chaff that is blown away by the desert winds. 25 This
is your allotment, the portion I have assigned to you," says the Lord,
"for you have forgotten me, putting your trust in false gods. 26 I
myself will strip you and expose you to shame. 27 I have
seen your adultery and lust, and your disgusting idol worship out in the fields
and on the hills. What sorrow awaits you, Jerusalem! How long before you are
pure?" 14. 1 This
message came to Jeremiah from the Lord, explaining why he was holding back the
rain. 2
"Judah wilts; commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt. All the people
sit on the ground in mourning, and a great cry rises from Jerusalem. 3 The
nobles send servants to get water, but all the wells are dry. The servants
return with empty pitchers, confused and desperate, covering their heads in
grief. 4 The
ground is parched and cracked for lack of rain. The farmers are deeply
troubled; they, too, cover their heads. 5 Even
the doe abandons her newborn fawn because there is no grass in the field. 6 The
wild donkeys stand on the bare hills panting like thirsty jackals. They strain
their eyes looking for grass, but there is none to be found." 7 The
people say, "Our wickedness has caught up with us, Lord, but help us for
the sake of your own reputation. We have turned away from you and sinned
against you again and again. 8 O Hope
of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble, why are you like a stranger to us?
Why are you like a traveler passing through the land, stopping only for the
night? 9 Are you
also confused? Is our champion helpless to save us? You are right here among
us, Lord. We are known as your people. Please don't abandon us now!" 10 So
this is what the Lord says to his people£º "You love to wander far from me
and do not restrain yourselves. Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my
people. Now I will remember all your wickedness and will punish you for your
sins." 11 Then
the Lord said to me, "Do not pray for these people anymore. 12 When
they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and
grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with
war, famine, and disease." 13 Then I
said, "O Sovereign Lord, their prophets are telling them, 'All is well -
no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.'" 14 Then
the Lord said, "These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send
them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of
visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness
made up in their own lying hearts. 15
Therefore, this is what the Lord says£º I will punish these lying prophets, for
they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war
or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine! 16 As for
the people to whom they prophesy - their bodies will be thrown out into the
streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to
bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters - all will be gone. For I will
pour out their own wickedness on them. 17 Now,
Jeremiah, say this to them£º "Night and day my eyes overflow with tears. I
cannot stop weeping, for my virgin daughter - my precious people - has been
struck down and lies mortally wounded. 18 If I
go out into the fields, I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy. If
I walk the city streets, I see people who have died of starvation. The prophets
and priests continue with their work, but they don't know what they're
doing." 19 Lord,
have you completely rejected Judah? Do you really hate Jerusalem? Why have you
wounded us past all hope of healing? We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We
hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror. 20 Lord,
we confess our wickedness and that of our ancestors, too. We all have sinned
against you. 21 For
the sake of your reputation, Lord, do not abandon us. Do not disgrace your own
glorious throne. Please remember us, and do not break your covenant with us. 22 Can
any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Does it fall from the sky by
itself? No, you are the one, O Lord our God! Only you can do such things. So we
will wait for you to help us. 15. 1 Then
the Lord said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading
for these people, I wouldn't help them. Away with them! Get them out of my
sight! 2 And if
they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the Lord
says£º "'Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are
destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those
who are destined for captivity, to captivity.' 3 "I
will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the Lord. "I
will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and
the wild animals to finish up what is left. 4 Because
of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem,
I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 5
"Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will weep for you? Who will
even bother to ask how you are? 6 You
have abandoned me and turned your back on me," says the Lord.
"Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you. I am tired of always
giving you another chance. 7 I will
winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities and take away the children
you hold dear. I will destroy my own people, because they refuse to change
their evil ways. 8 There
will be more widows than the grains of sand on the seashore. At noontime I will
bring a destroyer against the mothers of young men. I will cause anguish and
terror to come upon them suddenly. 9 The
mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath; her sun has gone down while
it is still day. She sits childless now, disgraced and humiliated. And I will
hand over those who are left to be killed by the enemy. I, the Lord, have
spoken!" 10 Then I
said, "What sorrow is mine, my mother. Oh, that I had died at birth! I am
hated everywhere I go. I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose nor a
borrower who refuses to pay - yet they all curse me." 11 The
Lord replied, "I will take care of you, Jeremiah. Your enemies will ask
you to plead on their behalf in times of trouble and distress. 12 Can a
man break a bar of iron from the north, or a bar of bronze? 13 At no
cost to them, I will hand over your wealth and treasures as plunder to your
enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land. 14 I will
tell your enemies to take you as captives to a foreign land. For my anger blazes
like a fire that will burn forever." 15 Then I
said, "Lord, you know what's happening to me. Please step in and help me.
Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don't let me die young. It's for
your sake that I am suffering. 16 When I
discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight,
for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies. 17 I
never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand
was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins. 18 Why
then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems
as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry." 19 This
is how the Lord responds£º "If you return to me, I will restore you so you
can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence
you! 20 They
will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as
a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to
protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken!
21 Yes, I
will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from
their cruel hands."