Old/New Testament
The Word of God to Pashhur
20 Now (A)Pashhur the son of (B)Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high (C)gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.
3 And it happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but [a]Magor-Missabib. 4 For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see it. I will (D)give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword. 5 Moreover I (E)will deliver all the wealth of this city, all its produce, and all its precious things; all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, seize them, and (F)carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have (G)prophesied lies.’ ”
Jeremiah’s Unpopular Ministry
7 O Lord, You [b]induced me, and I was persuaded;
(H)You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
(I)I am [c]in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
(J)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 (K)burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And (L)I could not.
10 (M)For I heard many [d]mocking:
“Fear on every side!”
“Report,” they say, “and we will report it!”
(N)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 (O)with me as a mighty, awesome One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not (P)prevail.
They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.
Their (Q)everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
12 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who (R)test the righteous,
And see the [e]mind and heart,
(S)Let me see Your vengeance on them;
For I have pleaded my cause before You.
13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For (T)He has delivered the life of the poor
From the hand of evildoers.
14 (U)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 (V)overthrew, and did not relent;
Let him (W)hear the cry in the morning
And the shouting at noon,
17 (X)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 (Y)Why did I come forth from the womb to (Z)see [f]labor and sorrow,
That my days should be consumed with shame?
Jerusalem’s Doom Is Sealed
21 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when (AA)King Zedekiah sent to him (AB)Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and (AC)Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, 2 (AD)“Please inquire of the Lord for us, for [g]Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the [h]Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and (AE)I will assemble them in the midst of this city. 5 I (AF)Myself will fight against you with an (AG)outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath. 6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. 7 And afterward,” says the Lord, (AH)“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. (AI)He shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy.” ’
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, (AJ)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who (AK)remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and [i]defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall (AL)live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. 10 For I have (AM)set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the Lord. (AN)“It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall (AO)burn it with fire.” ’
Message to the House of David
11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:
(AP)“Execute[j] judgment (AQ)in the morning;
And deliver him who is plundered
Out of the hand of the oppressor,
Lest My fury go forth like fire
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.
13 “Behold, (AR)I am against you, O [k]inhabitant of the valley,
And rock of the plain,” says the Lord,
“Who say, (AS)‘Who shall come down against us?
Or who shall enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you according to the (AT)fruit of your [l]doings,” says the Lord;
“I will kindle a fire in its forest,
And (AU)it shall devour all things around it.” ’ ”
Preach the Word
4 I (A)charge you [a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, (B)who will judge the living and the dead [b]at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. (C)Convince, (D)rebuke, (E)exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 (F)For the time will come when they will not endure (G)sound doctrine, (H)but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and (I)be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, (J)endure afflictions, do the work of (K)an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul’s Valedictory
6 For (L)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of (M)my departure is at hand. 7 (N)I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me (O)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous (P)Judge, will give to me (Q)on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
The Abandoned Apostle
9 Be diligent to come to me quickly; 10 for (R)Demas has forsaken me, (S)having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get (T)Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 12 And (U)Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.
14 (V)Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. 15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. (W)May it not be charged against them.
The Lord Is Faithful
17 (X)But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, (Y)so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered (Z)out of the mouth of the lion. 18 (AA)And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. (AB)To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
Come Before Winter
19 Greet (AC)Prisca and Aquila, and the household of (AD)Onesiphorus. 20 (AE)Erastus stayed in Corinth, but (AF)Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
21 Do your utmost to come before winter.
Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren.
Farewell
22 The Lord [c]Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.