Jeremiah 20:7-10
The Message
7-10 You pushed me into this, God, and I let you do it.
You were too much for me.
And now I’m a public joke.
They all poke fun at me.
Every time I open my mouth
I’m shouting, “Murder!” or “Rape!”
And all I get for my God-warnings
are insults and contempt.
But if I say, “Forget it!
No more God-Messages from me!”
The words are fire in my belly,
a burning in my bones.
I’m worn out trying to hold it in.
I can’t do it any longer!
Then I hear whispering behind my back:
“There goes old ‘Danger-Everywhere.’ Shut him up! Report him!”
Old friends watch, hoping I’ll fall flat on my face:
“One misstep and we’ll have him. We’ll get rid of him for good!”
Jeremiah 20:7-9
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.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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.