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Jeremiah 13
New King James Version
Jeremiah 13
New King James Version
Symbol of the Linen Sash
13 Thus the Lord said to me: “Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it [a]around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I got a [b]sash according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist.
3 And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, 4 “Take the [c]sash that you acquired, which is [d]around your waist, and arise, go to the [e]Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole in the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
6 Now it came to pass after many days that the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the sash which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the [f]sash from the place where I had hidden it; and there was the sash, ruined. It was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord: ‘In this manner (A)I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great (B)pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who (C)refuse to hear My words, who (D)follow[g] the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing. 11 For as the sash 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 the Lord, ‘that (E)they may become My people, (F)for renown, for praise, and for (G)glory; but they would (H)not hear.’
Symbol of the Wine Bottles
12 “Therefore you shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Every bottle shall be filled with wine.” ’
“And they will say to you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every bottle will be filled with wine?’
13 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “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—(I)with drunkenness! 14 And (J)I will dash them [h]one against another, even the fathers and the sons together,” says the Lord. “I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them.” ’ ”
Pride Precedes Captivity
15 Hear and give ear:
Do not be proud,
For the Lord has spoken.
16 (K)Give glory to the Lord your God
Before He causes (L)darkness,
And before your feet stumble
On the dark mountains,
And while you are (M)looking for light,
He turns it into (N)the shadow of death
And makes it dense darkness.
17 But if you will not hear it,
My soul will (O)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 (P)the king and to the queen mother,
“Humble yourselves;
Sit down,
For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.”
19 The cities of the South shall be shut up,
And no one shall open them;
Judah shall be carried away captive, all of it;
It shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes and see
Those who come from the (Q)north.
Where is the flock that was given to you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He punishes you?
For you have taught them
To be chieftains, to be head over you.
Will not (R)pangs seize you,
Like a woman in [i]labor?
22 And if you say in your heart,
(S)“Why have these things come upon me?”
For the greatness of your iniquity
(T)Your skirts have been uncovered,
Your heels [j]made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
24 “Therefore I will (U)scatter them (V)like stubble
That passes away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 (W)This is your lot,
The portion of your measures from Me,” says the Lord,
“Because you have forgotten Me
And trusted in (X)falsehood.
26 Therefore (Y)I will uncover your skirts over your face,
That your shame may appear.
27 I have seen your adulteries
And your lustful (Z)neighings,
The lewdness of your harlotry,
Your abominations (AA)on the hills in the fields.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
Will you still not be made clean?”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 13:1 Lit. upon your loins
- Jeremiah 13:2 waistband
- Jeremiah 13:4 waistband
- Jeremiah 13:4 Lit. upon your loins
- Jeremiah 13:4 Heb. Perath
- Jeremiah 13:7 waistband
- Jeremiah 13:10 walk in the stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 13:14 Lit. a man against his brother
- Jeremiah 13:21 childbirth
- Jeremiah 13:22 Lit. suffer violence
Jeremiah 13
New International Version
Jeremiah 13
New International Version
A Linen Belt
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(A) 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[a](B) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(C)
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(D) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(E) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(F) and go after other gods(G) to serve and worship them,(H) will be like this belt—completely useless!(I) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown(J) and praise and honor.(K) But they have not listened.’(L)
Wineskins
12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(M) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(N) or mercy or compassion(O) to keep me from destroying(P) them.’”
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.(Q)
16 Give glory(R) to the Lord your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(S)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(T)
17 If you do not listen,(U)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(V)
because the Lord’s flock(W) will be taken captive.(X)
18 Say to the king(Y) and to the queen mother,(Z)
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(AA)
will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(AB) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(AC)
Where is the flock(AD) that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?(AE)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(AF)
22 And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”(AG)—
it is because of your many sins(AH)
that your skirts have been torn off(AI)
and your body mistreated.(AJ)
23 Can an Ethiopian[b] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(AK)
24 “I will scatter you like chaff(AL)
driven by the desert wind.(AM)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(AN) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(AO) me
and trusted in false gods.(AP)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(AQ)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(AR)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(AS)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”(AT)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
- Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)
Jeremiah 22
New King James Version
Jeremiah 22
New King James Version
Prophecies Against the Kings of Judah
22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word, 2 and say, (A)‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! 3 Thus says the Lord: (B)“Execute[a] judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the (C)fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you indeed do this thing, (D)then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. 5 But if you will not [b]hear these words, (E)I swear by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house shall become a desolation.” ’ ”
6 For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah:
“You are (F)Gilead to Me,
The head of Lebanon;
Yet I surely will make you a wilderness,
Cities which are not inhabited.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you,
Everyone with his weapons;
They shall cut down (G)your choice cedars
(H)And cast them into the fire.
8 And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, (I)‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, (J)‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.’ ”
10 Weep not for (K)the dead, nor bemoan him;
Weep bitterly for him (L)who goes away,
For he shall return no more,
Nor see his native country.
Message to the Sons of Josiah
11 For thus says the Lord concerning (M)Shallum[c] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, (N)who went from this place: “He shall not return here anymore, 12 but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
13 “Woe(O) to him who builds his house by unrighteousness
And his [d]chambers by injustice,
(P)Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages
And gives him nothing for his work,
14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious [e]chambers,
And cut out windows for it,
Paneling it with cedar
And painting it with vermilion.’
15 “Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink,
And do justice and righteousness?
Then (Q)it was well with him.
16 He [f]judged the cause of the poor and needy;
Then it was well.
Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.
17 “Yet(R) your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness,
For shedding innocent blood,
And practicing oppression and violence.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
(S)“They shall not lament for him,
Saying, (T)‘Alas, my brother!’ or ‘Alas, my sister!’
They shall not lament for him,
Saying, ‘Alas, master!’ or ‘Alas, his glory!’
19 (U)He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey,
Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry from Abarim,
For all your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
But you said, ‘I will not hear.’
(V)This has been your manner from your youth,
That you did not obey My voice.
22 The wind shall eat up all (W)your [g]rulers,
And your lovers shall go into captivity;
Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated
For all your wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon,
Making your nest in the cedars,
How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you,
Like (X)the pain of a woman in [h]labor?
Message to Coniah
24 “As I live,” says the Lord, (Y)“though [i]Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, (Z)were the [j]signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 (AA)and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the [k]Chaldeans. 26 (AB)So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.
28 “Is this man [l]Coniah a despised, broken idol—
(AC)A vessel in which is no pleasure?
Why are they cast out, he and his descendants,
And cast into a land which they do not know?
29 (AD)O earth, earth, earth,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
‘Write this man down as (AE)childless,
A man who shall not prosper in his days;
For (AF)none of his descendants shall prosper,
Sitting on the throne of David,
And ruling anymore in Judah.’ ”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 22:3 Dispense justice
- Jeremiah 22:5 Obey
- Jeremiah 22:11 Or Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:13 Lit. roof chambers, upper chambers
- Jeremiah 22:14 Lit. roof chambers, upper chambers
- Jeremiah 22:16 Defended
- Jeremiah 22:22 Lit. shepherds
- Jeremiah 22:23 childbirth
- Jeremiah 22:24 Or Jeconiah or Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 signet ring
- Jeremiah 22:25 Or Babylonians
- Jeremiah 22:28 See note at v. 24
Jeremiah 22
New International Version
Jeremiah 22
New International Version
Judgment Against Wicked Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(A) of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear(B) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(C)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(D) 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(E) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(F) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(G) and do not shed innocent blood(H) in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(I) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey(J) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(K) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”
6 For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:
“Though you are like Gilead(L) to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,(M)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(N)
like towns not inhabited.
7 I will send destroyers(O) against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(P) up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.(Q)
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’(R) 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(S)’”
10 Do not weep for the dead(T) king or mourn(U) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(V)
nor see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[a](W) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die(X) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 “Woe(Y) to him who builds(Z) his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying(AA) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(AB)
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar(AC)
and decorates it in red.(AD)
15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,(AE)
so all went well(AF) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(AG)
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(AH) me?”
declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,(AI)
on shedding innocent blood(AJ)
and on oppression and extortion.”(AK)
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn(AL) for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial(AM) of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown(AN)
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(AO)
let your voice be heard in Bashan,(AP)
cry out from Abarim,(AQ)
for all your allies(AR) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(AS)
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(AT)
you have not obeyed(AU) me.
22 The wind(AV) will drive all your shepherds(AW) away,
and your allies(AX) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(AY)
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[b](AZ)’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain(BA) like that of a woman in labor!
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[c](BB) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(BC) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(BD) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[d] 26 I will hurl(BE) you and the mother(BF) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return(BG) to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin(BH) a despised, broken pot,(BI)
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(BJ) out,
cast into a land(BK) they do not know?
29 O land,(BL) land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(BM)
a man who will not prosper(BN) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(BO) will prosper,
none will sit on the throne(BP) of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
- Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
- Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.