13Jeremiah 13

The Linen Shorts

1The Lord told me to go and buy myself some linen shorts and to put them on; but he told me not to put them in water.Select Jeremiah 13:1

2So I bought them and put them on.Select Jeremiah 13:2

3Then the Lord spoke to me again and said,Select Jeremiah 13:3

4“Go to the Euphrates River and hide the shorts in a hole in the rocks.”Select Jeremiah 13:4

5So I went and hid them near the Euphrates.Select Jeremiah 13:5

6Some time later the Lord told me to go back to the Euphrates and get the shorts.Select Jeremiah 13:6

7So I went back, and when I found the place where I had hidden them, I saw that they were ruined and were no longer any good.Select Jeremiah 13:7

8Then the Lord spoke to me again. He said,Select Jeremiah 13:8

9“This is how I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.Select Jeremiah 13:9

10These evil people have refused to obey me. They have been as stubborn and wicked as ever, and have worshiped and served other gods. So then, they will become like these shorts that are no longer any good.Select Jeremiah 13:10

11Just as shorts fit tightly around the waist, so I intended all the people of Israel and Judah to hold tightly to me. I did this so that they would be my people and would bring praise and honor to my name; but they would not obey me.”Select Jeremiah 13:11

The Wine Jar

12The Lord God said to me, “Jeremiah, tell the people of Israel that every wine jar should be filled with wine. They will answer that they know every wine jar should be filled with wine.Select Jeremiah 13:12

13Then tell them that I, the Lord, am going to fill the people in this land with wine until they are drunk: the kings, who are David's descendants, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem.Select Jeremiah 13:13

14Then I will smash them like jars against one another, old and young alike. No pity, compassion, or mercy will stop me from killing them.”Select Jeremiah 13:14

Jeremiah Warns against Pride

15People of Israel, the Lord has spoken! Be humble and listen to him.Select Jeremiah 13:15

16Honor the Lord, your God, before he brings darkness, and you stumble on the mountains; before he turns into deep darkness the light you hoped for.Select Jeremiah 13:16

17If you will not listen, I will cry in secret because of your pride; I will cry bitterly, and my tears will flow because the Lord's people have been taken away as captives.Select Jeremiah 13:17

18The Lord said to me, “Tell the king and his mother to come down from their thrones, because their beautiful crowns have fallen from their heads.Select Jeremiah 13:18

19The towns of southern Judah are under siege; no one can get through to them. All the people of Judah have been taken away into exile.”Select Jeremiah 13:19

20Jerusalem, look! Your enemies are coming down from the north! Where are the people entrusted to your care, your people you were so proud of?Select Jeremiah 13:20

21What will you say when people you thought were your friends conquer you and rule over you? You will be in pain like a woman giving birth.Select Jeremiah 13:21

22If you ask why all this has happened to you—why your clothes have been torn off and you have been raped—it is because your sin is so terrible.Select Jeremiah 13:22

23Can people change the color of their skin, or a leopard remove its spots? If they could, then you that do nothing but evil could learn to do what is right.Select Jeremiah 13:23

24The Lord will scatter you like straw that is blown away by the desert wind.Select Jeremiah 13:24

25He has said that this will be your fate. This is what he has decided to do with you, because you have forgotten him and have trusted in false gods.Select Jeremiah 13:25

26The Lord himself will strip off your clothes and expose you to shame.Select Jeremiah 13:26

27He has seen you do the things he hates. He has seen you go after pagan gods on the hills and in the fields, like a man lusting after his neighbor's wife or like a stallion after a mare. People of Jerusalem, you are doomed! When will you ever be pure?Select Jeremiah 13:27