Day 289 of 730

¹Thus says the Lord to me, "Go, and buy yourself a linen belt, and put it on your waist, and do not put it in water."

²So I bought a belt according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my waist.

³The word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying,

⁴"Take the belt that you have bought, which is on your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock."

⁵So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.

⁶It happened after many days, that the Lord said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the belt from there, which I commanded you to hide there."

⁷Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

⁸Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁹"Thus says the Lord, 'In this way I will mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

¹⁰This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this belt, which is profitable for nothing.

¹¹For as the belt clings to the waist of a man, so have I caused to cling to me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah,' says the Lord; 'that they might be my people, for a name, for praise, and for glory. But they would not listen.

¹²Therefore you shall speak to them this word: 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Every bottle shall be filled with wine:"' and they shall tell you, 'Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?'

¹³Then you shall tell them, 'Thus says the Lord, "Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings who sit on David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

¹⁴I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, says the Lord. I will not pity, nor spare, nor have compassion, that I should not destroy them."'"

¹⁵"Hear, and give ear; do not be proud; for the Lord has spoken.

¹⁶Give glory to the Lord your God, before he causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and, while you look for light, he turns it into the shadow of death, and makes it gross darkness.

¹⁷But if you will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and my eye shall weep bitterly, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is taken captive."

¹⁸"Say to the king and to the queen mother, 'Humble yourselves, sit down; for your headdresses have come down, even the crown of your glory.

¹⁹The cities toward the south are shut up, and there is none to open them: Judah is carried away captive, all of it; it is wholly carried away captive.'"

²⁰"Lift up your eyes, and see those who come from the north: where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock?

²¹What will you say, when he shall set over you as head those whom you have yourself taught to be friends to you? Shall not sorrows take hold of you, as of a woman in travail?

²²If you say in your heart, 'Why are these things come on me?' for the greatness of your iniquity are your skirts uncovered, and your heels suffer violence.

²³Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

²⁴'Therefore will I scatter them, as the stubble that passes away, by the wind of the wilderness.

²⁵This is your lot, the portion measured to you from me,' says the Lord; 'because you have forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

²⁶Therefore will I also uncover your skirts on your face, and your shame shall appear.

²⁷I have seen your abominations, even your adulteries, and your neighing, the lewdness of your prostitution, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, Jerusalem! You will not be made clean; how long shall it yet be?'"

¹The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought.

²"Judah mourns, and its gates languish, they sit in black on the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

³Their nobles send their little ones to the waters: they come to the cisterns, and find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are disappointed and confounded, and cover their heads.

⁴Because of the ground which is cracked, because no rain has been in the land, the plowmen are disappointed, they cover their heads.

⁵Yes, the hind also in the field calves, and forsakes her young, because there is no grass.

⁶The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage."

⁷"Though our iniquities testify against us, work for your name's sake, Lord; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.

⁸You hope of Israel, its Savior in the time of trouble, why should you be as a foreigner in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to stay for a night?

⁹Why should you be like a scared man, as a mighty man who can't save? Yet you, Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us."

¹⁰Thus says the Lord to this people, "Even so have they loved to wander; they have not refrained their feet: therefore the Lord does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity, and visit their sins."

¹¹The Lord said to me, "Do not pray for this people for their good.

¹²When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and meal offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence."

¹³Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets tell them, 'You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.'"

¹⁴Then the Lord said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I did not send them, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I to them: they prophesy to you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart.

¹⁵Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, and I did not send them, yet they say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land:' 'By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.'

¹⁶The people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them-them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness on them."

¹⁷"You shall say this word to them, 'Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.

¹⁸If I go forth into the field, then, behold, the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then, behold, those who are sick with famine! For both the prophet and the priest go about in the land, and have no knowledge.'"

¹⁹"Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you struck us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay!

²⁰We acknowledge, Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against you.

²¹Do not abhor us, for your name's sake; do not disgrace the throne of your glory: remember, do not break your covenant with us.

²²Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the sky give showers? Aren't you he, Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things."

¹Lord, you have searched me, and you know me.

²You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.

³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

⁴For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, Lord, you know it altogether.

⁵You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.

⁶This knowledge is beyond me. It's lofty. I can't attain it.

⁷Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?

⁸If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!

⁹If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;

¹⁰Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.

¹¹If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night;"

¹²even the darkness doesn't hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.

¹³For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.

¹⁵My frame wasn't hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.

¹⁹If only you, God, would kill the wicked. Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.

²¹Lord, do I not hate those who hate you? Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?

²²I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies.

²³Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.

²⁴See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

¹The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

²Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.

³The Lord will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.

⁴He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.

⁵He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

⁷The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.

⁸The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall.

⁹He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

¹⁰One winking with the eye causes sorrow, but a chattering fool will fall.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.

¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding.

¹⁴Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.

¹⁵The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The labor of the righteous leads to life. The increase of the wicked leads to sin.

¹⁷He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray.

¹⁸He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.

¹⁹In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding.

²²The Lord's blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

²³It is a fool's pleasure to do wickedness, but wisdom is a man of understanding's pleasure.

²⁴What the wicked fear, will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous stand firm forever.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.

²⁷The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

²⁸The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish.

²⁹The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

³⁰The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.

³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.