The Daily RootedHome StoriesGradesChurchesWhat's NewAbout
Bible:
Answer key (separate)‹ Back to chapter 13

Prints on letter paper in black and white. No answers are printed on the student sheet.

Jeremiah 13 · Grade 5

Cling to Me

Name Date

Read and Think

Jeremiah 13 begins with an acted parable. God told Jeremiah to buy a linen belt, wear it, and keep it out of water. Linen was the fabric of priestly garments, so the belt suggests Israel's calling to be a holy people close to God. Jeremiah then hid it by the Euphrates in a cleft of the rock. After many days he dug it up, and behold, the belt was ruined. It was profitable for nothing.

The Euphrates pointed toward Babylon and the lands where Judah's pride had led it. God said that in this way he would ruin the pride of Judah. The people refused to hear his words, walked in the stubbornness of their heart, and went after other gods. Like the belt, they had become useless for the purpose God intended.

Verse 11 gives the heart of the lesson. For as the belt clings to the waist of a man, God had caused Israel and Judah to cling to him, that they might be his people, for a name, for praise, and for glory. The tragedy is in the last words, but they would not hear. Jeremiah pleaded, Give glory to Yahweh your God, before he causes darkness. He also asked whether a people used to doing evil could learn to do good, showing how deep their habits had become.

Show What You Know

  1. Why might a linen belt be meaningful?

  2. What did the Euphrates point toward?

  3. What are the four purposes listed in verse 11?

  4. What did Jeremiah urge before darkness came?

Crossword

45213

Across

  1. Give ____ to Yahweh your God.
  2. Go to the ____.

Down

  1. And buy yourself a ____ belt.
  2. Take the ____ that you have bought.
  3. And hide it there in a cleft of the ____.

Think About It

  1. God wanted his people to cling to him like a belt. What helps a person stay close to God day by day?

  2. Habits can become very hard to change. How can God help someone break a bad habit?

Memory Verse

“For as the belt clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to me,’ says Yahweh; ‘that they may be to me for a people, for a name, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’”

Jeremiah 13:11 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for wanting me close to You. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can we stay close to God?
  • What habits help us follow God?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.