Jeremiah 20
Complete Jewish Bible
20 Now when the cohen Pash’chur son of Immer, chief official in the house of Adonai, heard Yirmeyahu prophesying these things, 2 he had him flogged and put him in the stocks at the Upper Binyamin Gate of the house of Adonai. 3 The following morning, when Pash’chur led Yirmeyahu out of the stocks, Yirmeyahu said to him, “Adonai no longer calls you Pash’chur but Magor-Missaviv [terror on every side]. 4 For this is what Adonai says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, while you watch. I will hand over all of Y’hudah to the king of Bavel, and he will carry them off captive to Bavel and put them to the sword. 5 Moreover, I will hand over everything stored in this city, all its valuables, all its wealth, indeed all the treasures of the kings of Y’hudah, to their enemies, who will plunder them, take them and carry them to Bavel. 6 And you, Pash’chur, along with your entire household, will go into captivity; you will go to Bavel, where you will die and be buried — you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”
7 You fooled me, Adonai; I have been your dupe.
You overpowered me, and you have prevailed.
All day long I’m a laughingstock;
everyone makes fun of me.
8 Whenever I speak, I have to cry out;
I shout, “Violence!” and “Destruction!”
Thus the word of Adonai becomes for me
the cause of reproach and derision all day!
9 But if I say, “I won’t think about him,
I won’t speak in his name any more,”
then it seems as though a fire
is burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I wear myself out
trying to hold it in,
but I just can’t do it.
10 I have heard many whispering their plot:
“‘Terror in every direction’?
Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”
Even all my close friends
are watching for me to make a false step —
“Maybe he can be tricked,
then we’ll get the better of him,
then we’ll take our revenge on him.”
11 But Adonai is with me like a dreaded warrior;
so my persecutors will stumble, defeated,
greatly ashamed because of their failure;
their lasting disgrace will not be forgotten.
12 Adonai-Tzva’ot, you who test the righteous
and see people’s hearts and thoughts,
let me see you take vengeance on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
13 Sing to Adonai! Praise Adonai!
For he rescues those in need
from the clutches of evildoers.
14 A curse on the day I was born!
The day my mother gave birth to me —
let it not be blessed!
15 A curse on the man who brought the news
to my father, “A son has been born to you!” —
thus making him very happy.
16 Let that man be like the cities
Adonai overthrew without mercy!
Let him hear cries of alarm in the morning
and the sound of battle at noon,
17 because God did not put me to death in the womb
and let my mother become my grave,
her womb forever filled with me.
18 Why did I have to emerge from the womb,
just to see toil and sorrow,
and end my days in shame?
Yirmeyah 20
Orthodox Jewish Bible
20 Now Pashchur Ben Immer the kohen, who was also Pakid Nagid in the Beis Hashem, heard that Yirmeyah prophesied these things.
2 Then Pashchur struck Yirmeyah HaNavi, and put him in the stocks that were in the Upper Gate of Binyamin, which was at the Beis Hashem.
3 And it came to pass on the next day, that Pashchur brought forth Yirmeyah out of the stocks. Then said Yirmeyah unto him, Hashem hath not called thy shem Pashchur, but Magor Missaviv (Terror on Every Side).
4 For thus saith Hashem, Hineni, I will make thee a magor (terror) to thyself, and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the cherev of their oyevim, and thine eynayim shall behold it; and I will give kol Yehudah into the yad Melech Bavel, and he shall carry them captive into Bavel, and shall slay them with the cherev.
5 Moreover, I will deliver all the wealth of this city, and all the produce thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the otzarot of the melachim of Yehudah will I give into the yad of their oyevim, which shall plunder them, and seize them, and carry them to Bavel.
6 And thou, Pashchur, and all that dwell in thine bais shall go into the [Golus] captivity: and thou shalt come to Bavel, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied sheker.
7 Hashem, Thou hast induced me, and I was induced; Thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed; I am a laughingstock all day long, every one mocketh me.
8 For since I spoke, I cried out, I cried chamas and destruction; because the Devar Hashem was made a cherpah (reproach) unto me, and a derision, all day long.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in Shmo. But His word was in Mine lev as a burning eish shut up in my atzmot, and I was weary of holding back, and I could not.
10 For I heard the slander of many, Magor (terror) on every side. Report, say they, let’s report him. Kol enosh shelomi watched for my stumbling, saying, Perhaps he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.
11 But Hashem is with me as a Gibbor Aritz (Mighty Warrior): therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not succeed; their kelimat olam (everlasting dishonor) shall never be forgotten.
12 But, Hashem Tzva’os, that tests the tzaddik, and seest the kelayot and the lev, let me see Thy vengeance on them; for unto Thee have I pled my cause.
13 Sing unto Hashem, hallelu Hashem; for He hath saved the nefesh of the evyon (poor) from the yad of evildoers.
14 Arur (cursed) be the day wherein I was born; let not the day wherein immi bore me yehi baruch (be blessed).
15 Arur (cursed) be the ish who brought news to avi, saying, A ben zachar (male child) is born unto thee; making him very glad.
16 And let that ish be as the towns which Hashem overthrew, and relented not; and let him hear the wailing in the boker, and the teru’ah (battle cry) at noontide;
17 Because he slaughtered me not from the womb; or that immi might have been my kever, and olam (forever) her womb enlarged.
18 Why came I forth out of the womb to see amal (trouble, toil) and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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