Jeremiah 13:1-11

Contemporary English Version

Jeremiah's Linen Shorts

13 The Lord told me, “Go and buy a pair of linen shorts. Wear them for a while, but don't wash them.” ² So I bought a pair of shorts and put them on.

³ Then the Lord said, ⁴ “Take off the shorts. Go to Parah^[a] and hide the shorts in a crack between some large rocks.” ⁵ And that's what I did.

⁶ Some time later the Lord said, “Go back and get the shorts.” ⁷ I went back and dug the shorts out of their hiding place, but the cloth had rotted, and the shorts were ruined.

⁸ Then the Lord said:

⁹ Jeremiah, I will use Babylonia to^[b] destroy the pride of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ The people of Judah are evil and stubborn. So instead of listening to me, they do whatever they want and even worship other gods. When I am finished with these people, they will be good for nothing, just like this pair of shorts. ¹¹ These shorts were tight around your waist, and that's how tightly I held onto the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I wanted them to be my people. I wanted to make them famous, so that other nations would praise and honor me, but they refused to obey me.