1 T he Lord said to me, “Go and buy a linen belt, and put it around yourself. But do not put it in water.”

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 S o I bought the belt as the Lord had said and put it around me.

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

3 T hen the Word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying,

And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,

4 “ Take the belt that you have bought and are wearing, get up, and go to the Euphrates. Hide it there in a hole in the rock.”

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 S o I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had told me.

So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.

6 A fter many days the Lord said to me, “Get up and go to the Euphrates and get the belt which I told you to hide there.”

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 T hen I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it. And I saw that the belt was worth nothing.

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 T hen the Word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

9 “ This is what the Lord says: ‘In this way I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 T hese sinful people would not listen to My words. They walk in the strong-will of their own hearts and have gone to serve and worship other gods. So let them be just like this linen belt, which is good for nothing.

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 F or as the belt holds on to a man’s body, so I made the whole family of Israel and the whole family of Judah hold on to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘This was so that they might be for Me a people, a name, a praise, and an honor. But they would not listen.’ The Wine Bottles

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 “ So you are to tell this to them: ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says, “Every jar is to be filled with wine.”’ And when they say to you, ‘Do we not know very well that every jar is to be filled with wine?’

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 t hen tell them, ‘The Lord says, “I am about to fill all the people of this land, the kings who sit on David’s throne, the religious leaders, the men of God, and all the people of Jerusalem with too much drink.

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 A nd I will throw them against each other, both the fathers and sons together,” says the Lord. “I will not let pity or sorrow or loving-kindness keep Me from destroying them.”’” Pride Comes before Punishment

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 L isten and hear. Do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken.

Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.

16 G ive honor to the Lord your God before He brings darkness and before you slip and fall on the dark mountains. You hope for light, but He will turn it into darkness and it will be very dark.

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 B ut if you will not listen, my soul will cry in secret because of your pride. My eyes will cry with a bitter cry and tears will flow down, because the Lord’s people have been taken away in chains.

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 S ay to the king and the queen mother, “Come down from your throne. Your beautiful crown has been taken from your head.”

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 T he cities of the Negev have been locked up, and there is no one to open them. All Judah has been taken away. All the people of Judah have been taken to another land.

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 “ Look up and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you, your beautiful sheep?

Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

21 W hat will you say when He sets over you those whom you have taught and who were your friends? Will not pain take hold of you, like a woman giving birth?

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 A nd if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things happened to me?’ It is because of your many sins that your clothing has been torn off and you suffer punishment.

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 C an the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are used to doing wrong.

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

24 I will cause you to go everywhere like straw blown by the desert wind.

Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.

25 T his is what you get, the share given to you from Me,” says the Lord, “because you have forgotten Me and trusted in lies.

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

26 S o I will pull your clothing up over your face, that your shame may be seen.

Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.

27 A s for your sex sins and cries of desire, your sinful sex acts on the hills in the field, I have seen your hated sins. It is bad for you, O Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?”

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?