כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֵלַי הָלוֹךְ וְקָנִיתָ לְּךָ אֵזוֹר פִּשְׁתִּים וְשַׂמְתּוֹ עַל־מָתְנֶיךָ וּבַמַּיִם לֹא תְבִאֵהוּ

So said the Lord to me: Go and purchase for you a linen belt, place it on your waist, and do not bring it into water to wash it.

וָאֶקְנֶה אֶת־הָאֵזוֹר כִּדְבַר ה' וָאָשִׂם עַל־מָתְנָי

I purchased a belt in accordance with the word of the Lord, and I placed it on my waist.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי שֵׁנִית לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with me a second time, saying:

קַח אֶת־הָאֵזוֹר אֲשֶׁר קָנִיתָ אֲשֶׁר עַל־מָתְנֶיךָ וְקוּם לֵךְ פְּרָתָה וְטָמְנֵהוּ שָׁם בִּנְקִיק הַסָּלַע

Take the belt that you purchased, which is on your waist, and arise, go with it to Perat, and conceal it there in a crevice of the rock.

וָאֵלֵךְ וָאֶטְמְנֵהוּ בִּפְרָת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אוֹתִי

I went and I concealed it in Perat as the Lord commanded me.

וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים רַבִּים וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי קוּם לֵךְ פְּרָתָה וְקַח מִשָּׁם אֶת־הָאֵזוֹר אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְטָמְנוֹ־שָׁם

It was at the end of many days that the Lord said to me: Arise, go to Perat, and take from there the belt that I commanded you to conceal there.

וָאֵלֵךְ פְּרָתָה וָאֶחְפֹּר וָאֶקַּח אֶת־הָאֵזוֹר מִן־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־טְמַנְתִּיו שָׁמָּה וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחַת הָאֵזוֹר לֹא יִצְלַח לַכֹּל

I went to Perat, and I dug and took the belt from the place where I had concealed it. And behold, the belt had been ruined; it was not fit for anything. The belt had been buried in the earth near the stream that runs through the wadi. The moisture from the water caused the belt to rot.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

God explains to Jeremiah the meaning of this strange image. The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

כֹּה אָמַר ה' כָּכָה אַשְׁחִית אֶת־גְּאוֹן יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־גְּאוֹן יְרוּשָׁלִַם הָרָב

So said the Lord: So will I destroy the pride, or grandeur, of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

הָעָם הַזֶּה הָרָע הַמֵּאֲנִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרַי הַהֹלְכִים בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְעָבְדָם וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת לָהֶם וִיהִי כָּאֵזוֹר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִצְלַח לַכֹּל

This is an evil people who refuse to heed My words, who walk in the desire of their heart, and they followed other gods to worship them and to prostrate themselves before them. Therefore it, the nation, will eventually be like this belt that is not fit for anything.

כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִדְבַּק הָאֵזוֹר אֶל־מָתְנֵי אִישׁ כֵּן הִדְבַּקְתִּי אֵלַי אֶת־כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּית יְהוּדָה נְאֻם־ה' לִהְיוֹת לִי לְעָם וּלְשֵׁם וְלִתְהִלָּה וּלְתִפְאָרֶת וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ

For just as the belt cleaves to the waist of a man, and it accompanies him wherever he goes, so I have attached to Me the entire house of Israel and the entire house of Judah – the utterance of the Lord – to be a people to Me, and for renown, for praise, and for splendor, as a belt symbolizes power and status; but they did not heed. Since they did not desire this connection, the belt was detached from the waist and concealed in the ground; and it is no surprise that it decayed and became entirely useless.

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל־נֵבֶל יִמָּלֵא יָיִן וְאָמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ הֲיָדֹעַ לֹא נֵדַע כִּי כָל־נֵבֶל יִמָּלֵא יָיִן!

The next parable is expressed not through action but as a verbal illustration of the prophet’s idea: You shall say to them, the Israelites, this matter: So said the Lord, God of Israel: Every earthenware flask will be filled with wine. They will say to you: Don’t we know that every flask will be filled with wine? What is the significance of your statement?

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר ה' הִנְנִי מְמַלֵּא אֶת־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וְאֶת־הַמְּלָכִים הַיֹּשְׁבִים לְדָוִד עַל־כִּסְאוֹ וְאֶת־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאֶת־הַנְּבִיאִים וְאֵת כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם שִׁכָּרוֹן

You shall say to them: So said the Lord: Behold, I am filling all the inhabitants of this land, who are compared to worthless earthenware flasks, and this includes the kings of Judah who sit for David on his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. All of them will become confused due to the proliferation of their troubles.

וְנִפַּצְתִּים אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו וְהָאָבוֹת וְהַבָּנִים יַחְדָּו נְאֻם־ה' לֹא־אֶחְמוֹל וְלֹא־אָחוּס וְלֹא אֲרַחֵם מֵהַשְׁחִיתָם

I will smash them, these wine-filled earthenware flasks, one against another, until they are reduced to fragments and scattered, and the fathers and the sons together – the utterance of the Lord. I will not pity, and I will not spare, and I will not have mercy from destroying them.

שִׁמְעוּ וְהַאֲזִינוּ אַל־תִּגְבָּהוּ כִּי ה' דִּבֵּר

Hear and listen; do not be haughty, for the Lord has spoken, and all must pay attention when He speaks.

תְּנוּ לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כָּבוֹד בְּטֶרֶם יַחְשִׁךְ וּבְטֶרֶם יִתְנַגְּפוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם עַל־הָרֵי נָשֶׁף וְקִוִּיתֶם לְאוֹר – וְשָׂמָהּ לְצַלְמָוֶת וְשִׁית לַעֲרָפֶל

Give honor to the Lord your God, and accept His authority and repent before it grows dark, and before your feet stumble and you are hurt on the imposing mountains of the night, which cast a dark shadow and are difficult to traverse. Once retribution arrives, you will not be able to rise to your feet again. And when it grows dark, you will hope for light, but He will transform it, your hope, into the shadow of death and will render it a fog.

וְאִם לֹא תִשְׁמָעוּהָ – בְּמִסְתָּרִים תִּבְכֶּה־נַפְשִׁי מִפְּנֵי גֵוָה וְדָמֹעַ תִּדְמַע וְתֵרַד עֵינִי דִּמְעָה כִּי נִשְׁבָּה עֵדֶר ה'

But if you do not heed it, this warning, and you do not return to God, my soul will weep in concealed places due to your pride, and my eyes will weep and shed tears because the flock of the Lord, Israel, will have been taken captive by its enemies. It is possible that this is not a statement of the prophet himself, but rather he is speaking in the name of God, who is saying that if the people will not obey Him and He will end up punishing them, He will weep in secret over their fate.

אֱמֹר לַמֶּלֶךְ וְלַגְּבִירָה הַשְׁפִּילוּ שׁבוּ כִּי יָרַד מַרְאֲשׁוֹתֵיכֶם עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאַרְתְּכֶם

God instructs Jeremiah to say to the king and to the ruling lady, either the queen or the king’s mother: Humble yourselves and sit in a low place, as the crown of your splendor, your royal crown, has come down from your heads. Your reign has fallen.

עָרֵי הַנֶּגֶב סֻגְּרוּ וְאֵין פֹּתֵחַ הָגְלָת יְהוּדָה כֻּלָּהּ הָגְלָת שְׁלוֹמִים

The cities of the south are shut, due to fear of the enemy approaching from the north, and there is no one opening them. Judah in its entirety is exiled, exiled completely. Since this will occur in the near future, the prophet refers to the events in the present tense.

שְׂאוּ עֵינֵיכֶם וּרְאוּ הַבָּאִים מִצָּפוֹן אַיֵּה הָעֵדֶר נִתַּן־לָךְ צֹאן תִּפְאַרְתֵּךְ!

Raise your eyes, and see those enemies coming from the north; where is the flock that was given to you to watch over, the Kingdom of Judah? Where is the flock of your splendor?

מַה־תֹּאמְרִי כִּי־יִפְקֹד עָלַיִךְ! וְאַתְּ לִמַּדְתְּ אֹתָם עָלַיִךְ אַלֻּפִים לְרֹאשׁ הֲלוֹא חֲבָלִים יֹאחֱזוּךְ כְּמוֹ אֵשֶׁת לֵדָה

What will you say when He reckons with you? How will you answer God when He, the owner of the flock, requests its return? Alternatively, what will you say when God punishes you? Or what will you say when He appoints the Babylonians to rule over you? Or how will you answer the king of Babylon when he punishes you for rebelling against him? You, through your deeds and your establishment of close ties with the Babylonians, have accustomed them, the Babylonians, to be as leaders and heads over you. Won’t pangs clutch you like a woman in childbirth?

וְכִי תֹאמְרִי בִּלְבָבֵךְ מַדּוּעַ קְרָאֻנִי אֵלֶּה! – בְּרֹב עֲוֹנֵךְ נִגְלוּ שׁוּלַיִךְ נֶחְמְסוּ עֲקֵבָיִךְ

If you say in your heart: Why did these tragedies befall me, know that because of the magnitude of your iniquity your hems were revealed, as your robe was lifted up, and your heels were shamefully exposed.

הֲיַהֲפֹךְ כּוּשִׁי עוֹרוֹ ! וְנָמֵר חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָיו ! גַּם־אַתֶּם תּוּכְלוּ לְהֵיטִיב לִמֻּדֵי הָרֵעַ

The prophet asks, mockingly: Can a Kushite transform his skin and turn white, or will a leopard change its spots? If these are possible, then you too will be able to do good, as you are among those who are accustomed to perform evil.

וַאֲפִיצֵם כְּקַשׁ עוֹבֵר לְרוּחַ מִדְבָּר

I will scatter them, like stubble that passes from its place by the force of the wind of the wilderness.

זֶה גוֹרָלֵךְ מְנָת־מִדַּיִךְ מֵאִתִּי נְאֻם־ה' אֲשֶׁר שָׁכַחַתְּ אוֹתִי וַתִּבְטְחִי בַּשָּׁקֶר

This is your fate and the appropriate portion of your measure from Me – the utterance of the Lord – as punishment for the fact that you forgot Me and trusted in falsehood.

וְגַם־אֲנִי חָשַׂפְתִּי שׁוּלַיִךְ עַל־פָּנָיִךְ וְנִרְאָה קְלוֹנֵךְ

And I too have revealed your hems upon your face, and your shame is seen. This is how a licentious woman is treated. She is exposed and her shame revealed.

נִאֻפַיִךְ וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַיִךְ זִמַּת זְנוּתֵךְ עַל־גְּבָעוֹת בַּשָּׂדֶה רָאִיתִי שִׁקּוּצָיִךְ אוֹי לָךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֹא תִטְהֲרִי אַחֲרֵי מָתַי עֹד

Your adulteries and your revelry, the lewdness of your licentiousness, all your lewd celebrations: On hills in the field I have seen your repugnant items. Woe to you, Jerusalem; you will not be purified afterward. When will it be at all [ah·]? This last cryptic phrase is understood by some as a rhetorical question, meaning “You will not repent for a long time.” Others understand it literally as simply a list of three words meaning “after, when, anymore,” expressing the prophet’s sense of hardship and frustration as he asks: What does the future hold? What will happen if you do not repent before the retribution arrives, or if you never repent at all? The entire second half of the verse can also be understood as stating: Since I warned you, saying: When will you return, and yet you did not listen, you will not be purified at all.