Jeremiah 13:13-23

13 And thou shalt say to them, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall fill with drunkenness all the dwellers of this land, and the kings of the generation of David, that sit on his throne, and the priests, and prophets, and all the dwellers of Jerusalem. (And thou shalt say to them, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings who be descended from David, who sit on his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.)

14 And I shall scatter them, a man from his brother, and the fathers and sons together, saith the Lord; I shall not spare, and I shall not grant, neither I shall do mercy, that I lose not them. (And then I shall destroy them, a man and his brother, and the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord; I shall not spare anyone, and I shall not grant anyone a reprieve, nor shall I have any mercy, so that I do not destroy them.)

15 Hear ye, and perceive with ears (Hear ye, and listen); do not ye be raised [up], for the Lord spake.

16 Give ye glory to your Lord God, before that it wax dark, and before that your feet hurt at [the] dark hills; ye shall abide light, and he shall set it into the shadow of death, and into darkness. (Give ye glory to the Lord your God, before that it grow dark, and before that your feet stumble on the dark hills; ye shall wait for the light, but he shall turn it into the shadow of death, and into darkness.)

17 That if ye hear not this, my soul shall weep in hid place for the face of pride; it weeping shall weep, and mine eye shall cast out a tear, for the flock of the Lord is taken. (And if ye do not listen to this, my soul shall weep in a hidden place because of thy pride; it weeping shall weep, and my eyes shall cast out tears, for the flock of the Lord is carried away captive.)

18 Say thou to the king, and to the lady, Be ye meeked, sit ye, for the crown of your glory shall go down from your head. (Say thou to the king, and to the queen, Be ye humbled, sit ye, for your glorious crowns shall go down from off your heads.)

19 The cities of the south be closed, and none is that openeth; all Judah is translated by perfect passing over, either going out of their land. (The cities of the south be besieged, and there is no one who can help them; all the people of Judah have been carried away captive.)

20 Raise ye (up) your eyes, and see ye, what men come from the north; where is the flock which is given to thee, thy noble sheep?

21 What shalt thou say, when he shall visit thee? for thou hast taught them against thee, and thou hast taught against thine head. Whether sorrows have not taken thee, as a woman travailing of child? (What shalt thou say, when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be thy leaders, but now they be against thee. Shall sorrows not take hold of thee, like a woman in labour?)

22 That if thou sayest in thine heart, Why came these things to me? for the multitude of thy wickedness thy shamefuller things be showed, thy feet be defouled. (And if thou sayest in thy heart, Why did these things come to me? I shall answer, Because of the multitude of thy wickedness, thy shameful things be shown, and thy feet be defiled.)

23 If a man of Ethiopia may change his skin (colour), either a leopard may change his diversities, and ye may do well, when ye have learned evil. (Only if a man of Ethiopia can change his skin colour, or if a leopard can change his spots, then can ye still do good, after all the evil that ye have learned.)

Jeremiah 13:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 13

In this chapter, under the similes of a girdle and bottles of wine, the destruction of the Jews is set forth. Some exhortations are given them to repent and humble themselves, even men of all ranks and degrees among them; and their sins, the source of their calamities, are pointed out to them. An order is given to the prophet to get him a linen girdle, with instructions what to do with it, and which he observed, Jer 13:1,2, a fresh order to take it and hide it in the hole of a rock by the river Euphrates, which he accordingly did, Jer 13:3-5 and he is bid a third time to go and take it from thence, which he did; when he found it spoiled, and good for nothing, Jer 13:6,7, then follows the application of this simile, or the signification of this sign; that in like manner the pride of Judah and Jerusalem should be marred, and for their wickedness and idolatry should become good for nothing, like that girdle; whereas they ought to have cleaved to the Lord, as a girdle does to a man's loins, and to have been an honourable people to him, Jer 13:8-11. By the simile of bottles filled with wine is signified that all the inhabitants of the land, king, priests, prophets, and common people, should be like drunken men, that should dash one against another, and destroy each other, which the mercy of God would not prevent, Jer 13:12-14, some exhortations are made to the people in general, to be humble, and confess their sins, and give glory to God, before it was too late; which are enforced by the prophet's affectionate concern for them, Jer 13:15-17 and to the king and queen in particular, since their crown and kingdom were about to be taken from them; the cities, in the southern parts, going to be shut up, and not opened; and even the whole land of Judea, and all its inhabitants, in a little time would be carried captive, Jer 13:18,19, and, to certify them of the truth of these things, they are bid to look to the north, from whence the enemy was coming to carry them captive, even the beautiful flock committed to their care, Jer 13:20, and to consider what they could say for themselves, when their punishment should come upon them suddenly, as the sorrows of a woman in travail, Jer 13:21 and should they ask the reason of this, it was owing to the multitude of their iniquities, and to their habit and custom of sinning, which made their case desperate, Jer 13:22,23, wherefore a resolution is taken to disperse them among the nations, and that this should be their lot and portion, because of their many abominations, and yet not without some concern that they might be purged from their iniquities, Jer 13:24-27.