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:'

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

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

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

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

Then the Word of the Lord came to me a 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 belt that you have bought and are wearing, get up, and go to the Euphrates. Hide it there in a hole in the rock.”

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

So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had told 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;'

After 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.”

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 I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it. And I saw that the belt was worth nothing.

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

Then the Word of the Lord came to me, saying,

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

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

These 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.

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 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

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?'

“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?’

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 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.

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 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

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

Listen and hear. 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 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.

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 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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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 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?

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.

And 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.

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? Then you also can do good who are used to doing wrong.

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

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

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

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

So I will pull your clothing up over your face, that your shame may be seen.

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?

As 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?”