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?

1Thus saith the Lord vnto me; Goe and get thee a linen girdle, and put it vpon thy loynes, and put it not in water.

2So I got a girdle, according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loines.

3And the word of the Lord came vnto me the second time, saying;

4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is vpon thy loines, and arise, goe to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rocke.

5So I went and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commaunded mee.

6And it came to passe after many daies, that the Lord saide vnto me; Arise, goe to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commaunded thee to hide there.

7Then I went to Euphrates and digged, and tooke the girdle from the place where I had hid it, and behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

8Then the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying;

9Thus saith the Lord; After this maner will I marre the pride of Iudah, and the great pride of Ierusalem.

10This euill people which refuse to heare my words, which walke in the imagination of their heart, and walke after other Gods to serue them and to worship them, shall euen be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

11For as the girdle cleaueth to the loines of a man: so haue I caused to cleaue vnto me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Iudah, saith the Lord; that they might bee vnto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not heare.

12 Therefore thou shalt speake vnto them this word; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Euerie botle shalbe filled with wine: and they shall say vnto thee; Doe we not certainly know, that euery botle shall be filled with wine?

13Then shalt thou say vnto them; Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, euen the kings that sit vpon Dauids throne, and the priests and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Ierusalem with drunkennesse.

14And I will dash them one against another, euen the fathers and the sonnes together, saith the Lord: I wil not pitie nor spare, nor haue mercie, but destroy them.

15 Heare ye and giue eare, bee not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.

16Giue glory to the Lord your God before he cause darknesse, and before your feet stumble vpon the darke mountaines, and while yee looke for light, he turne it into the shadowe of death, and make it grosse darkenesse.

17But if ye will not heare it, my soule shall weepe in secret places for your pride, and mine eye shall weepe sore, and run downe with teares, because the Lords flocke is caried away captiue.

18Say vnto the king, and to the queene, Humble your selues, sit downe, for your principalities shall come downe, euen the crowne of your glory.

19The cities of the South shall bee shut vp, and none shall open them, Iudah shall be caried away captiue all of it, it shall bee wholly caried away captiue.

20Lift vp your eyes, and beholde them that come from the North, where is the flocke that was giuen thee, thy beautifull flocke?

21What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee (for thou hast taught them to be captaines and as chiefe ouer thee) shall not sorrowes take thee as a woman in trauaile?

22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things vpon me? for the greatnesse of thine iniquitie are thy skirts discouered, and thy heeles made bare.

23Can the Ethiopian change his skinne? or the leopard his spots? then may ye also doe good, that are accustomed to doe euill.

24Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the winde of the wildernesse.

25This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the Lord, because thou hast forgotten mee, and trusted in falshood.

26Therefore will I discouer thy skirts vpon thy face, that thy shame may appeare.

27I haue seene thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdnesse of thy whordome, and thine abominations on the hils in the fields: woe vnto thee, O Ierusalem, wilt thou not bee made cleane? when shall it once be?

X == Jer 9:14 ; 11:8 ; 16:12

XI == Ex 19:5 ; Jer 33:9

XIII == Isa 51:17 , 21 ; 63:6 ; Jer 25:27 ; 51:7

XIV == Ps 2:9

XVI == Josh 7:19 ; Ps 44:19 ; Isa 5:30 ; 8:22 ; 59:9 ; Amos 8:9

XVII == Jer 9:1 ; 14:17 ; Lam 1:2 , 16 ; 2:16

XVIII == 2nd Kings 24:12 ; Jer 22:26

XX == Jer 6:22

XXI == Jer 6:24

XXII == Isa 3:17 ; 47:2-3 ; Jer 5:19 ; 13:26 ; 16:10 ; Ezek 16:37 , 39 ; Nah 3:5

XXIV == Ps 1:4 ; Hos 13:3

XXV == Job 20:29 ; Ps 11:6 ; Jer 10:14

XXVI == Jer 13:2 ; Lam 1:8 ; Ezek 16:37 ; 23:29 ; Hos 2:10

XXVII == Isa 65:7 ; Jer 2:20 ; 3:2 , 6 ; 5:8 ; Ezek 6:13

1 The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth; wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.

2 I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.

3 A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:

4 Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing, and go now to the Parath; there hide it in a cleft of the rock.

5 Obedient to the LORD'S command, I went to the Parath and buried the loincloth.

6 After a long interval, he said to me: Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth which I told you to hide there.

7 Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth from the place where I had hid it. But it was rotted, good for nothing!

8 Then the message came to me from the LORD:

9 Thus says the LORD: So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot, the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 This wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and follow strange gods to serve and adore them, shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.

11 For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man's loins, so had I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD; to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty. But they did not listen.

12 Now speak to them this word: Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Every wineflask is meant to be filled with wine. If they reply, "Do we not know that every wineflask is meant to be filled with wine?"

13 say to them: Thus says the LORD: Beware! I am filling with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land, the kings who succeed to David's throne, the priests and prophets, and all the citizens of Jerusalem.

14 I will dash them against each other, fathers and sons together, says the LORD; I will show no compassion, I will not spare or pity, but will destroy them.

15 Give ear, listen humbly, for the LORD speaks.

16 Give glory to the LORD, your God, before it grows dark; Before your feet stumble on darkening mountains; Before the light you look for turns to darkness, changes into black clouds.

17 If you do not listen to this in your pride, I will weep in secret many tears; My eyes will run with tears for the LORD'S flock, led away to exile.

18 Say to the king and to the queen mother: come down from your throne; From your heads fall your magnificent crowns.

19 The cities of the Negeb are besieged, with no one to relieve them; All Judah is banished in universal exile.

20 Lift up your eyes and see men coming from the north. Where is the flock entrusted to you, the sheep that were your glory?

21 What will you say when they place as rulers over you those whom you taught to be your lovers? Will not pangs seize you like those of a woman giving birth?

22 If you ask in your heart why these things befall you: For your great guilt your skirts are stripped away and you are violated.

23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin? the leopard his spots? As easily would you be able to do good, accustomed to evil as you are.

24 I will scatter them like chaff that flies when the desert wind blows.

25 This is your lot, the portion measured out to you from me, says the LORD. Because you have forgotten me, and trusted in the lying idol,

26 I now will strip off your skirts from you, so that your shame will appear.

27 Your adulteries, your neighings, your shameless prostitutions: On the hills in the highlands I see these horrible crimes of yours. Woe to you, Jerusalem, how long will it yet be before you become clean!

v 1-7. God told Jeremiah to use the object lesson of the marred belt to gain the attention of this unresponsive people. This was not a vision but an action. He also began speaking in parables. A girdle was a cloth sash worn about the waist, and being linen, it was priestly raiment. After Jeremiah wore this for some time, God had him hide it in a crevice in the rocks at Perath, the same word for Euphrates and Parah. Euphrates was 700 miles away, Parath only three miles northeast of Anathoth at the wadi Farah. There are many rocks and crevices there and the people would be able to observe Jeremiah’s actions. When God had him retrieve it later, it had rotted.

v 8-11. The belt worn tight around Jeremiah’s waist symbolized the closeness of Israel and Judah to the Lord, but when it was removed it, and they, became useless.

v 12-14. The people responded to the word through Jeremiah, of course every wineskin should be filled with wine. The skins, probably jars, emptied by drinking were smashed together, showing that God would smash and destroy these wicked people.

v 15-17. Jeremiah urges repentance before impending darkness of judgment falls. If pride kept them from it, he would weep bitterly for their coming captivity.

v 18-21. Jeremiah told King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) and queen mother Nehushta in the three months before they were carried captive, to humble themselves. The ones thought to be friends, Babylon, Isa. 49:1-7, will come from the north and remove the people that were entrusted to them. They went into captivity, 2 Ki. 24:8, 597 BC.

v 22-27. Judah could no more do right than an Ethiopian could change skin color.  Judah’s spiritual adultery will be exposed as a harlot’s adulteries are exposed.