“1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and
put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 2 So I got a girdle
according to the word of the LORD, and put [it] on my loins. 3 And the
word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 4 Take the girdle
that thou hast got, which [is] upon thy loins, and arise, go to
Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 5 So I went, and hid
it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. 6 And it came to pass after
many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take
the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 7 Then I
went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where
I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for
nothing. 8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 9 Thus saith
the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great
pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words,
which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods,
to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which
is good for nothing. 11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a
man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and
the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for
a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they
would not hear.”
“12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the
LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they
shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be
filled with wine? 13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD,
Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings
that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. 14 And I will dash them
one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the
LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. 15
Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. 16 Give
glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your
feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he
turn it into the shadow of death, [and] make [it] gross darkness. 17 But
if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for [your]
pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because
the LORD’S flock is carried away captive. 18 Say unto the king and to
the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall
come down, [even] the crown of your glory. 19 The cities of the south
shall be shut up, and none shall open [them]: Judah shall be carried
away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive. 20 Lift
up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where [is] the
flock [that] was given thee, thy beautiful flock? 21 What wilt thou say
when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them [to be] captains,
[and] as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in
travail?”
“22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon
me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, [and]
thy heels made bare. 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the
leopard his spots? [then] may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do
evil. 24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away
by the wind of the wilderness. 25 This [is] thy lot, the portion of thy
measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and
trusted in falsehood. 26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy
face, that thy shame may appear. 27 I have seen thine adulteries, and
thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, [and] thine abominations on
the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be
made clean? when [shall it] once [be]?” (Jeremiah 13:1-27 AV)