Jeremiah 13:22
20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity that your skirts have been stripped off and your body has been exposed.
- KJV
- And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
- WEB
- If you say in your heart, “Why have these things come on me?” Your skirts are uncovered because of the greatness of your iniquity, and your heels suffer violence.
- ASV
- And if thou say in thy heart, Wherefore are these things come upon me? for the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, and thy heels suffer violence.
- DARBY
- 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.
- BLB
- And if you should say in your heart, “Why have these things happened to me?—[It is] by the abundance of your iniquity [that] your skirts have been uncovered [and] your heels have suffered violence.
- ÅB
- Og når du sier i ditt hjerte: Hvorfor har dette hendt meg? [så vit:] For dine mange misgjerningers skyld er kanten på din kjole løftet opp, dine hæler blottet med vold.
- OTB
- Og hvis du spør deg selv, "Hvorfor har dette skjedd med meg?"—det er på grunn av omfanget av dine synder at skjørtene dine har blitt revet av og kroppen din mishandlet.
- B1930
- Og når du sier i ditt hjerte: Hvorfor har dette hendt mig? [så vit:] For dine mange misgjerningers skyld er kanten på din kjole løftet op, dine hæler blottet med vold.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Nahum 3:5
Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
Read in contextJeremiah 16:10–11
And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?
Read in contextJeremiah 5:19
And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.
Read in contextLamentations 1:8
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 7:17
If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
Read in contextHosea 2:10
And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.
Read in contextJeremiah 9:2–9
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
Read in contextJeremiah 13:26
Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
Read in context