The Lord told Jeremiah, Go get a linen belt and put it on, but don’t let it get wet. So Jeremiah did it. He got the belt and put it on and wore it for awhile.

Then the Lord told Jeremiah, Take off the belt and go to the Euphrates River and hide it in the hole in the rock. So Jeremiah went and did what the Lord said and took off the belt and took it to the Euphrates River and hid in a hole in the rock there.

Then after a lot of days the Lord told him, Get up and go to the Euphrates River and get the belt that I told you to hide there. So Jeremiah went to the Euphrates River and got the belt. But it was all ruined and couldn’t be put on at all.

Then the Lord said, Just like this, I will ruin the puffed up pride of the people of Judah and the big fat pride of Jerusalem.

These are bad people who won’t listen to My words but only do what they think is right in their own hearts.

They bow down to My enemies, the bad ones.

Just like you kept the belt tight around you, so I keep the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah close to me, that they might be good and bright and shiny, but they would not hear Me.

So I will let the bad stuff they do come back on them.

They will be sick

and dizzy

and wander around and trip on the mountains in the dark.

My soul will weep in secret places and my eyes will run down with tears because of My people that will be captured and taken away from their special land that I gave them.

I will scatter them like trash blowing in the wind.

O Jerusalem, won’t you let Me make you clean?

Then there was a long time on the land with no rain so no food was growing.

The animals were wandering around thirsty looking for water to drink and grass to eat.

Why won’t you help, O Lord? You are the One who always saves us.

Because My people love to wander far away from me and won’t come back to Me.

The men who tell My people My words are lying to them and not telling them what I say. I didn’t tell them to say that it will all be OK, that trouble won’t come, even though they are doing bad stuff.

Bad stuff is coming and My eyes will run down with tears night and day because My people are so broken and won’t let me heal them.

We have done bad, O God. Don’t hate us. Hold us up in Your shiny brightness.

Can any of the bad ones we bow down to make rain?

So we will wait for you to help us because You made all these things.