¹¹ When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ^(A)‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

³³ Then the ^(A)commander came near and took him, and ^(B)commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.

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.’

²⁷ And as Samuel turned around to go away, ^(A)Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ So Samuel said to him, ^(B)“The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

²³ except that ^(A)the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.

¹² To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to ^[a]us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which ^(A)angels desire to look into.

³⁴ for you had compassion on ^[a]me ^(A)in my chains, and ^(B)joyfully accepted the plundering of your ^[b]goods, knowing that ^(C)you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves ^[c]in heaven.

Be Faithful^(A)

⁷ Therefore, as ^(B)the Holy Spirit says:

^9 (A)for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, ^(B)even to the point of chains; ^(C)but the word of God is not chained.