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Jeremiah 20:7-18
New King James Version
Jeremiah 20:7-18
New King James Version
Jeremiah’s Unpopular Ministry
7 O Lord, You [a]induced me, and I was persuaded;
(A)You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
(B)I am [b]in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
(C)I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the Lord was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a (D)burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And (E)I could not.
10 (F)For I heard many [c]mocking:
“Fear on every side!”
“Report,” they say, “and we will report it!”
(G)All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying,
“Perhaps he can be induced;
Then we will prevail against him,
And we will take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is (H)with me as a mighty, awesome One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not (I)prevail.
They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.
Their (J)everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
12 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who (K)test the righteous,
And see the [d]mind and heart,
(L)Let me see Your vengeance on them;
For I have pleaded my cause before You.
13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For (M)He has delivered the life of the poor
From the hand of evildoers.
14 (N)Cursed be the day in which I was born!
Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!
15 Let the man be cursed
Who brought news to my father, saying,
“A male child has been born to you!”
Making him very glad.
16 And let that man be like the cities
Which the Lord (O)overthrew, and did not relent;
Let him (P)hear the cry in the morning
And the shouting at noon,
17 (Q)Because he did not kill me from the womb,
That my mother might have been my grave,
And her womb always enlarged with me.
18 (R)Why did I come forth from the womb to (S)see [e]labor and sorrow,
That my days should be consumed with shame?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:7 enticed or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:7 Lit. a laughingstock all the day
- Jeremiah 20:10 slandering
- Jeremiah 20:12 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
- Jeremiah 20:18 toil
Jeremiah 20:7-18
New International Version
Jeremiah 20:7-18
New International Version
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 You deceived[a](A) me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];
you overpowered(B) me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed(C) all day long;
everyone mocks(D) me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.(E)
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach(F) all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”(G)
his word is in my heart like a fire,(H)
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;(I)
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror(J) on every side!
Denounce(K) him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends(L)
are waiting for me to slip,(M) saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail(N) over him
and take our revenge(O) on him.”
11 But the Lord(P) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors(Q) will stumble and not prevail.(R)
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;(S)
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,(T)
let me see your vengeance(U) on them,
for to you I have committed(V) my cause.
13 Sing(W) to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues(X) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.(Y)
14 Cursed be the day I was born!(Z)
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns(AA)
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing(AB) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,(AC)
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb(AD)
to see trouble(AE) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?(AF)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.