The Ruined Belt
Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and abuy yourself a linen belt and put it around your loins, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the belt in accordance with the aword of Yahweh and put it around my loins. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the belt that you have bought, which is around your loins, and arise, go to the aEuphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, aas Yahweh had commanded me. 6 Now it happened that after many days Yahweh said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined; it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Just so will I ruin the apride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who arefuse to listen to My words, who bwalk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have walked after other gods to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this belt which is totally worthless. 11 For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah acling to Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for a bname, for cpraise, and for beauty; but they ddid not listen.’
The Magnitude of Israel’s Iniquity
12 “Therefore you are to say this word to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with adrunkenness! 14 I will ashatter them against each other, both the bfathers and the sons together,” declares Yahweh. “I will cnot spare nor show pity nor have compassion so as not to ruin them.”’”
15 Listen and give ear, do not be ahaughty,
For Yahweh has spoken.
16 aGive glory to Yahweh your God,
Before He brings bdarkness
And before your cfeet stumble
On the dusky mountains;
And while you are hoping for light,
He makes it into the dshadow of death
And turns it into dense gloom.
17 But aif you will not listen to it,
My soul will bcry in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will bitterly weep
And flow down with tears
Because the cflock of Yahweh has been taken captive.
18 Say to the aking and the queen mother,
“bTake a lowly seat,
For your beautiful ccrown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The acities of the Negev have been closed up,
And there is no one to open them;
All bJudah has been taken away into exile,
Wholly taken away into exile.
20 “Lift up your eyes and see
Those coming afrom the north.
Where is the bflock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former acompanions to be head over you?
Will not bpangs seize you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 If you asay in your heart,
‘bWhy have these things happened to me?’
Because of the cmagnitude of your iniquity
dYour skirts have been uncovered
And your heels have suffered violence.
23 aCan the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can bdo good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 Therefore I will ascatter them like chaff passing away
Into the wilderness bwind.
25 This is your alot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares Yahweh,
“Because you have bforgotten Me
And trusted in lies.
26 So I Myself have also astripped your skirts off over your face,
That your disgrace may be seen.
27 As for your aadulteries and your lustful neighings,
The blewdness of your prostitution
On the chills in the field,
I have seen your detestable things.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
dHow long will you not cleanse yourself?”