1 T hus said Jehovah unto me, `Go, and thou hast got for thee a girdle of linen, and hast placed it on thy loins, and into water thou dost not cause it to enter:'

¶ Thus hath the LORD said unto me, Go and buy thee a linen girdle and put it upon thy loins, and thou shalt not put it in water.

2 a nd I get the girdle, according to the word of Jehovah, and I place on my loins.

And I bought the girdle according to the word of the LORD and put it on my loins.

3 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me a second time, saying,

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

4 ` Take the girdle that thou hast got, that on thy loins, and rise, go to Phrat, and hide it there in a hole of the rock;

Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise; go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

5 a nd I go and hide it by Phrat, as Jehovah commanded me.

So I went and hid it in the Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

6 A nd it cometh to pass, at the end of many days, that Jehovah saith unto me, `Rise, go to Phrat, and take thence the girdle, that I commanded thee to hide there;'

And it came to pass after many days that the LORD said unto me, Arise; go to the Euphrates and take from there the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there.

7 a nd I go to Phrat, and dig, and take the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and lo, the girdle hath been marred, it is not profitable for anything.

Then I went to the Euphrates and dug and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and, behold, the girdle was rotted, it was good for nothing.

8 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Thus said Jehovah:

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

9 T hus do I mar the excellency of Judah, And the great excellency of Jerusalem.

Thus hath the LORD said, After this manner I will cause the pride of Judah to rot and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 T his evil people, who refuse to hear My words, Who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, And go after other gods to serve them, And to bow themselves to them, Yea it is -- as this girdle, that is not profitable for anything.

This evil people that refuses to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart and went 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 girdle cleaveth unto the loins of a man, So I caused to cleave unto Me The whole house of Israel, And the whole house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah, To be to Me for a people, and for a name, And for praise, and for beauty, And they have not hearkened.

For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so I have 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 fame, and for a praise, and for honour; but they did not hear.

12 A nd thou hast said unto them this word, Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, `Every bottle is full of wine,' And they have said unto thee: `Do we not certainly know that every bottle is full of wine?'

¶ Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word: Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, 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 A nd thou hast said unto them, `Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am filling all the inhabitants of this land, And the kings who sit for David on his throne, And the priests, and the prophets, And all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, drunkenness,

Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus hath the LORD said, Behold, I fill all the inhabitants of this land with drunken ness, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

14 A nd have dashed them one against another, And the fathers and the sons together, An affirmation of Jehovah, I do not pity, nor spare, nor have I mercy, So as not to destroy them.

And I will break them one against another, even the fathers with the sons together, saith the LORD; I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy to not destroy them.

15 H ear, and give ear -- be not haughty, For Jehovah hath spoken.

Hear ye and give ear; do not be proud: for the LORD has spoken.

16 G ive ye to Jehovah your God honour, Before He doth cause darkness, And before your feet stumble on dark mountains, And ye have waited for light, And He hath made it for death-shade, And hath appointed for thick darkness.

Give glory to the LORD your God before he causes darkness and before your feet stumble in mountains of darkness, and while ye look for light, he turns it into the shadow of death and makes it gross darkness.

17 A nd if ye do not hear it, In secret places doth my soul weep, because of pride, Yea, it weepeth sore, And the tear cometh down mine eyes, For the flock of Jehovah hath been taken captive.

But if ye will not hear this, my soul shall weep in secret because of your pride; and weeping bitterly, my eyes shall be undone in tears because the LORD’s flock was carried away captive.

18 S ay to the king and to the mistress: Make yourselves low -- sit still, For come down have your principalities, The crown of your beauty.

Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down in the dust because the crown of your glory has come down off your heads.

19 T he cities of the south have been shut up, And there is none opening, Judah hath been removed -- all of her, She hath been removed completely --

The cities of the south were shut up, and no one could open them: Judah was carried away captive; all of it, it was completely carried away captive.

20 L ift up your eyes, and see those coming in from the north, Where the drove given to thee, thy beautiful flock?

Lift up your eyes, and behold those that come from the north wind: where is the flock that was given thee, the cattle of thy beauty?

21 W hat dost thou say, when He looketh after thee? And thou -- thou hast taught them over thee -- leaders for head? Do not pangs seize thee as a travailing woman?

What wilt thou say when he shall visit thee? For thou hast taught them to be princes and as head over thee; shall not sorrows take thee as a woman in travail?

22 A nd when thou dost say in thy heart, `Wherefore have these met me?' For the abundance of thine iniquity Have thy skirts been uncovered, Have thy heels suffered violence.

¶ When thou shalt say in thine heart, Why do these things come upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered and thy heels made bare.

23 D oth a Cushite change his skin? and a leopard his spots? Ye also are able to do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Likewise ye also cannot do good, being taught to do evil.

24 A nd I scatter them as stubble, Passing away, by a wind of the wilderness.

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

25 T his thy lot, the portion of thy measures from Me -- an affirmation of Jehovah, Because thou hast forgotten me, And dost trust in falsehood.

This shall be thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me said the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

26 I also have made bare thy skirts before thy face, And thy shame hath been seen.

Therefore I uncovered thy skirts before thy face, and thy shame was manifested.

27 T hine adulteries, and thy neighings, The wickedness of thy whoredom, on heights in a field, I have seen thine abominations. Wo to thee, O Jerusalem, Thou art not cleansed, after when again?

I have seen thine adulteries and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom upon the hills; in the same field I saw thine abominations. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean at last? How long then shall it be?