And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
And when you are destroyed, what will you do? Even if you dress yourself in crimson, even if you decorate yourself with gold jewelry, even if you paint your face with makeup, it's useless to try to make yourself beautiful. Your lovers will reject you and will try to kill you.
God is warning that when judgment comes, no amount of external beauty or attempting to appeal to allies will provide protection or salvation.
📚 Historical Context
Jeremiah was prophesying to the kingdom of Judah before the Babylonian invasion in 586 BC. The nation had formed political alliances with other nations (the 'lovers') for protection instead of trusting in God. The prophet uses the metaphor of a woman desperately trying to beautify herself to win back unfaithful lovers who will ultimately betray her.
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