Jeremiah 13:15-26

English Standard Version

Exile Threatened

¹⁵Hear and give ear; be not proud,
    for the Lord has spoken.
¹⁶^(A)Give glory to the Lord your God
    ^(B)before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
    on the twilight mountains,
and ^(C)while you look for light
    he turns it into gloom
    and makes it ^(D)deep darkness.
¹⁷But if you will not listen,
    ^(E)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 ^(F)the king and ^(G)the queen mother:
    “Take a lowly seat,
for ^(H)your beautiful crown
    has come down from your head.”
¹⁹^(I)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 ^(J)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?
^(K)Will not pangs take hold of you
    like those of a woman in labor?
²²And if you say in your heart,
    ^(L)‘Why have these things come upon me?’
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
    that ^(M)your skirts are lifted up
    and you suffer violence.
²³^(N)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
    or ^(O)the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
    who are accustomed to do evil.
²⁴I will scatter you^[a] ^(P)like chaff
    driven by the wind from the desert.
²⁵^(Q)This is your lot,
    the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord,
because ^(R)you have forgotten me
    and trusted in lies.
²⁶^(S)I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,
    and your shame will be seen.