1 Yahweh said to me, "Go, and buy yourself a linen belt, and put it on your waist, and don’t put it in water."
2 So I bought a belt according to Yahweh’s word, and put it on my waist.
3 Yahweh’s word came to me the second time, saying, 4 "Take the belt that you have bought, which is on your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock."
5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as Yahweh commanded me.
6 After many days, Yahweh said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the belt from there, which I commanded you to hide there."
7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined. It was profitable for nothing.
8 Then Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 9 "Yahweh says, ‘In this way I will ruin the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and have gone after other gods to serve them and to worship them, will even be as this belt, which is profitable for nothing. 11 For as the belt clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to me,’ says Yahweh; ‘that they may be to me for a people, for a name, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’
12 "Therefore you shall speak to them this word: ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, "Every container should be filled with wine."’ They will tell you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every container should be filled with wine?’ 13 Then tell them, ‘Yahweh says, "Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. 14 I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together," says Yahweh: "I will not pity, spare, or have compassion, that I should not destroy them."’"
15 Hear, and give ear.
Don’t be proud,
for Yahweh has spoken.
16 Give glory to Yahweh your God,
before he causes darkness,
and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains,
and while you look for light,
he turns it into the shadow of death,
and makes it deep darkness.
17 But if you will not hear it,
my soul will weep in secret for your pride.
My eye will weep bitterly,
and run down with tears,
because Yahweh’s flock has been taken captive.
18 Say to the king and to the queen mother,
"Humble yourselves.
Sit down, for your crowns have come down,
even the crown of your glory.
19 The cities of the South are shut up,
and there is no one to open them.
Judah is carried away captive: all of them.
They are wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes,
and see those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given to you,
your beautiful flock?
21 What will you say when he sets over you as head those whom you have yourself taught to be friends to you?
Won’t sorrows take hold of you, as of a woman in travail?
22 If you say in your heart,
"Why have these things come on me?"
Your skirts are uncovered because of the greatness of your iniquity,
and your heels suffer violence.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin,
or the leopard his spots?
Then may you also do good,
who are accustomed to do evil.
24 "Therefore I will scatter them
as the stubble that passes away
by the wind of the wilderness.
25 This is your lot,
the portion measured to you from me," says Yahweh,
"because you have forgotten me,
and trusted in falsehood."
26 Therefore I will also uncover your skirts on your face,
and your shame will appear.
27 I have seen your abominations, even your adulteries
and your neighing, the lewdness of your prostitution,
on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
You will not be made clean.
How long will it yet be?"
1 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 And I bought the 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 bought, which [is] upon thy loins, and arise; go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went and hid it in the Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
6 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 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 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9 Thus hath the LORD said, After this manner I will cause the pride of Judah to rot and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 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 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 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 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus hath the LORD said, Behold, I fill all the inhabitants of this land with drunkenness, [even] the kings that sit upon David's throne and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
14 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 Hear ye and give ear; do not be proud: for the LORD has spoken.
16 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Likewise ye also cannot do good, being taught to do evil.
24 Therefore I will scatter them as the stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 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 Therefore I uncovered thy skirts before thy face, and thy shame was manifested.
27 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]?: