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| 1 Thus said Jehovah unto me: Go and buy thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins; but dip it not in water. |
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| 2 And I bought a girdle according to the word of Jehovah, and put it upon my loins. |
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| 3 And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, |
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| 4 Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. |
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| 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as Jehovah had commanded me. |
Hid it – Accompanying signs were common with the prophets of olden time. R2223:4
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| 6 And it came to pass at the end of many days, that Jehovah said unto me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence which I commanded thee to hide there. |
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| 7 And I went to the Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and behold, the girdle was spoiled, it was good for nothing. |
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| 8 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, |
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| 9 Thus saith Jehovah: After this manner will I spoil the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. |
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| 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and go after other gods, to serve them and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle which is good for nothing. |
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| 11 For as a girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith Jehovah; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear. |
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| 12 And thou shalt speak unto them this word: Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Every skin shall be filled with wine. And they will say unto thee, Do we not very well know that every skin shall be filled with wine? |
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| 13 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings that sit for David upon his throne, and the priests and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. |
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| 14 And I will dash them one against another, both the fathers and the sons together, saith Jehovah; I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy so as not to destroy them. |
I will dash them – Complete destruction of present evil, unjust and oppressive governments and institutions. R362:1
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| 15 Hear ye, and give ear, be not lifted up; for Jehovah hath spoken. |
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| 16 Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight; and ye shall look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. |
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| 17 And if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is gone into captivity. |
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| 18 Say unto the king and to the queen: Humble yourselves, sit down low; for from your heads shall come down the crown of your magnificence. |
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| 19 The cities of the south are shut up, and there is none to open them; all Judah is carried away captive: it is wholly carried away captive. |
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| 20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north. Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock? |
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| 21 What wilt thou say when he shall visit thee, since thou thyself hast trained them to be princes in chief over thee? Shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail? |
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| 22 And if thou say in thy heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, and thy heels have suffered violence. |
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| 23 Can an Ethiopian change his skin, or a leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, who are accustomed to do evil. |
Change his skin – The differences between the races of men have long been arguments against the solidarity of the human family. God can change the Ethiopian's skin in his own due time. R3320:5
The Ethiopian eunuch, to whom Philip was sent with the message of salvation, was unquestionably a black man. R3043:1
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| 24 And I will scatter them as stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness. |
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| 25 This shall be thy lot, thy measured portion from me, saith Jehovah; because thou hast forgotten me, and confided in falsehood. |
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| 26 Therefore will I also turn thy skirts over thy face, and thy shame shall be seen. |
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| 27 Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy fornication, on the hills, in the fields, --thine abominations, have I seen. Woe unto thee, Jerusalem! Wilt thou not be made clean? after how long a time yet? |
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