Jeremiah 13:12-27

English Standard Version

The Jars Filled with Wine

¹²“You shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar shall be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not indeed know that ^(A)every jar will be filled with wine?’ ¹³Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(B)Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: ^(C)the kings who sit on David's throne, ^(D)the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁴And I will ^(E)dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’”

Exile Threatened

¹⁵Hear and give ear; be not proud,
    for the Lord has spoken.
¹⁶^(F)Give glory to the Lord your God
    ^(G)before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
    on the twilight mountains,
and ^(H)while you look for light
    he turns it into gloom
    and makes it ^(I)deep darkness.
¹⁷But if you will not listen,
    ^(J)my soul will 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.

¹⁸Say to ^(K)the king and ^(L)the queen mother:
    “Take a lowly seat,
for ^(M)your beautiful crown
    has come down from your head.”
¹⁹^(N)The cities of the Negeb are shut up,
    with none to open them;
all Judah is taken into exile,
    wholly taken into exile.

²⁰“Lift up your eyes ^(O)and see
    those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given you,
    your beautiful flock?
²¹What will you say when they set as head over you
    those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you?
^(P)Will not pangs take hold of you
    like those of a woman in labor?
²²And if you say in your heart,
    ^(Q)‘Why have these things come upon me?’
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
    that ^(R)your skirts are lifted up
    and you suffer violence.
²³^(S)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
    or ^(T)the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
    who are accustomed to do evil.
²⁴I will scatter you^[a] ^(U)like chaff
    driven by the wind from the desert.
²⁵^(V)This is your lot,
    the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord,
because ^(W)you have forgotten me
    and trusted in lies.
²⁶^(X)I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,
    and your shame will be seen.
²⁷I have seen ^(Y)your abominations,
    your adulteries and ^(Z)neighings, your lewd whorings,
    ^(AA)on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
    How long will it be ^(AB)before you are made clean?”