Jeremiah 13

The Ruined Loincloth

1 Thus says the Lord to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and q put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water." 2 So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, 4 "Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, r go to the Euphrates and hide it there in s a cleft of the rock." 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days the Lord said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there q the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there." 7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took q the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was t spoiled; it was u good for nothing.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 "Thus says the Lord: v Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great w pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, x who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is u good for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, y that they might be for me a people, z a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.

The Jars Filled with Wine

12 "You shall speak to them this word: 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Every jar shall be filled with wine."' And they will say to you, 'Do we not indeed know that a every jar will be filled with wine?' 13 Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord: b Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: c the kings who sit on David's throne, d the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 And I will e dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.'"

Exile Threatened

15 Hear and give ear; be not proud,
for the Lord has spoken.
16 f Give glory to the Lord your God
g before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the twilight mountains,
and g while you look for light
he turns it into gloom
and makes it h deep darkness.
17 But if you will not listen,
i my soul will weep in secret for your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,
because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.

18 Say to j the king and j the queen mother:
"Take a lowly seat,
for k your beautiful crown
has come down from your head."
19 l The cities of the Negeb are shut up,
with none to open them;
all Judah is taken into exile,
wholly taken into exile.

20 "Lift up your eyes m and see
those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given you,
your beautiful flock?
21 What will you say when they set as head over you
those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you?
n Will not pangs take hold of you
like those of a woman in labor?
22 And if you say in your heart,
o 'Why have these things come upon me?'
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
that p your skirts are lifted up
and you suffer violence.
23 q Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or q the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
who are accustomed to do evil.
24 I will scatter you 1 r like chaff
driven by the wind from the desert.
25 s This is your lot,
the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord,
because t you have forgotten me
and trusted in lies.
26 p I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,
and your shame will be seen.
27 I have seen u your abominations,
your adulteries and v neighings, your lewd whorings,
w on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will it be x before you are made clean?"

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 28:39
    You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
    Leviticus 16:4
    He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.
    Acts 21:11
    And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 51:59
    The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster.
    Jeremiah 51:63
    When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 7:19
    And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.
  4. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:1
    Thus says the Lord to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.
  5. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:1
    Thus says the Lord to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.
  6. Cross References
    Jeremiah 18:4
    And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
  7. Cross References
    Ezekiel 15:4 - 5
    Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything?
  8. Cross References
    Psalms 137:1
    By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
  9. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:19
    And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 3:17
    At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.
    Jeremiah 16:11 - 12
    Then you shall say to them: 'Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law.
  11. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:7
    Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.
  12. Cross References
    Exodus 19:5
    Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 33:9
    And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
    Isaiah 55:13
    Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
    Zephaniah 3:20
    At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes," says the Lord.
  14. Cross References
    Jeremiah 48:12
    Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 23:33
    You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
  16. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:20
    And say: 'Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates.
    Jeremiah 19:3
    You shall say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
    Jeremiah 22:2
    And say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates.
  17. Cross References
    Jeremiah 18:18
    Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 2:9
    You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
    Jeremiah 19:10 - 11
    Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you.
  19. Cross References
    Joshua 7:19
    Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:30
    They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.
    Isaiah 8:22
    And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
    Amos 5:8
    He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.
    Amos 8:9
    And on that day," declares the Lord God, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.
    John 11:10
    But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:30
    They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.
    Isaiah 8:22
    And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
    Amos 5:8
    He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.
    Amos 8:9
    And on that day," declares the Lord God, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.
    John 11:10
    But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 60:2
    For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
  23. Cross References
    Jeremiah 9:1
    Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a foun...
    Jeremiah 9:18
    Let them make haste and raise a wailing over us...
    Jeremiah 14:17
    You shall say to them this word: 'Let my eyes r...
    Lamentations 1:2
    She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on ...
    Lamentations 1:16
    "For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tea...
    Lamentations 2:18
    Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the da...
    Lamentations 3:49
    My eyes will flow without ceasing, without resp...
  24. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:26
    I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die.
    2 Kings 24:12
    And Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign
  25. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:26
    I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die.
    2 Kings 24:12
    And Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign
  26. Cross References
    Proverbs 4:9
    She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.
    Isaiah 28:5
    In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people.
    Isaiah 62:3
    You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
    Lamentations 5:16
    The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!
  27. Cross References
    Joshua 6:1
    Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.
  28. Cross References
    Jeremiah 1:13 - 14
    The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.
    Jeremiah 6:22
    Thus says the Lord : "Behold, a people is coming from the north country, a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
  29. Cross References
    Isaiah 13:8
    They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.
  30. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:19
    And when your people say, 'Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'
  31. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:26
    I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen.
    Isaiah 3:17
    Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts.
    Lamentations 1:8
    Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away.
    Nahum 3:5
    Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.
    Hosea 2:10
    Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
  32. Cross References
    Matthew 19:26
    But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
  33. Cross References
    Matthew 19:26
    But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
  34. Cross References
    Psalms 1:4
    The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
    Psalms 83:13
    O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
  35. Cross References
    Job 20:29
    This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God.
    Psalms 11:6
    Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
  36. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:32
    Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
  37. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:22
    And if you say in your heart, 'Why have these things come upon me?' it is for the greatness of your iniquity that your skirts are lifted up and you suffer violence.
  38. Cross References
    Jeremiah 6:15
    Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown," says the Lord.
  39. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:8
    They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife.
  40. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:20
    For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, 'I will not serve.' Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
  41. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:16
    Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil.
    Ezekiel 24:13
    On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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