Jeremiah 20
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Speaks Against Pashhur
20 Then Pashhur the priest, the son of (A)Immer, who was (B)ruling overseer in the house of Yahweh, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words; 2 and Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (C)struck and put him in the (D)stocks that were at the upper (E)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of Yahweh. 3 Now it happened that on the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. And Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name Yahweh has (F)called you, but rather [a](G)Magor-missabib. 4 For thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a (H)terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while (I)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will (J)give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take them away into (K)exile to Babylon and will strike them down with the sword. 5 I will also give over all the (L)wealth of this city, all the fruit of its labor, and all its precious things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the (M)hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, (N)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your (O)friends to whom you have (P)prophesied lies.’”
Jeremiah Curses the Day He Was Born
7 O Yahweh, You have enticed me, and I was enticed;
You were (Q)stronger than I, and You prevailed.
I have become a (R)laughingstock all day long;
Everyone (S)mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I (T)call out violence and devastation
Because for me the (U)word of Yahweh has [b]resulted
In reproach and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not (V)remember Him
Or speak anymore in His name,”
Then in (W)my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am weary of holding it in,
And (X)I cannot prevail.
10 For (Y)I have heard the bad report of many,
“(Z)Terror on every side!
(AA)Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!”
[c]All my (AB)trusted friends,
Keeping watch for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be [d]deceived, so that we may (AC)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But (AD)Yahweh is with me like a ruthless mighty one;
Therefore my (AE)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be utterly ashamed, because they have not prospered,
With an (AF)everlasting dishonor that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, O Yahweh of hosts, You who (AG)test the righteous,
Who see the [e]mind and the heart;
Let me (AH)see Your vengeance on them,
For (AI)to You I have revealed my cause.
13 (AJ)Sing to Yahweh, praise Yahweh!
For He has (AK)delivered the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the (AL)day when I was born;
Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the good news
To my father, saying,
“A [f](AM)baby boy has been born to you!”
And made him very glad.
16 But let that man be like the cities
Which Yahweh (AN)overthrew without [g]relenting,
And let him hear an (AO)outcry in the morning
And a [h]shout of war at noon,
17 Because he did not (AP)put me to death from the womb,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb ever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come forth from the womb
To (AQ)look on trouble and sorrow,
So that my (AR)days have been spent in (AS)shame?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:3 Lit terror on every side
- Jeremiah 20:8 Lit become
- Jeremiah 20:10 Lit Every man of my peace
- Jeremiah 20:10 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:12 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 20:15 Lit male child
- Jeremiah 20:16 Or regret
- Jeremiah 20:16 Or trumpet blast
Jeremiah 20
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah Beaten by Pashhur
20 Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer(A) and chief official in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 So Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate in the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib,[a] 4 for this is what the Lord says, ‘I am about to make you a terror to both yourself and those you love.(B) They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will deport them to Babylon and put them to the sword. 5 I will give away all the wealth of this city, all its products(C) and valuables. Indeed, I will hand all the treasures of the kings of Judah over to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon. 6 As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon. There you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your friends that you prophesied falsely(D) to.’”
Jeremiah Compelled to Preach
7 You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived.
You seized me and prevailed.
I am a laughingstock all the time;(E)
everyone ridicules me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I proclaim, “Violence and destruction!”(F)
because the word of the Lord has become for me
constant disgrace and derision.
9 If I say, “I won’t mention Him
or speak any longer in His name,”
His message becomes a fire burning in my heart,(G)
shut up in my bones.
I become tired of holding it in,
and I cannot prevail.
10 For I have heard the gossip of many people,
“Terror is on every side
Report him; let’s report him!”
Everyone I trusted[c] watches for my fall.(I)
“Perhaps he will be deceived
so that we might prevail against him
and take our vengeance on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a violent warrior.(J)
Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly shamed,
an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten.
12 Lord of Hosts, testing the righteous
and seeing the heart[d] and mind,
let me see Your vengeance on them,
for I have presented my case to You.(K)
13 Sing to the Lord!
Praise the Lord,
for He rescues the life of the needy
from the hand of evil people.
Jeremiah’s Lament
14 May the day I was born
be cursed.(L)
May the day my mother bore me
never be blessed.
15 May the man be cursed
who brought the news to my father, saying,
“A male child is born to you,”
bringing him great joy.
16 Let that man be like the cities
the Lord demolished without compassion.(M)
Let him hear an outcry in the morning(N)
and a war cry at noontime
17 because he didn’t kill me in the womb(O)
so that my mother might have been my grave,
her womb eternally pregnant.
18 Why did I come out of the womb
to see only struggle and sorrow,(P)
to end my life in shame?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:3 = Terror Is on Every Side; Jr 6:25; 20:10; 46:5
- Jeremiah 20:10 Hb Magor-missabib; Jr 20:3
- Jeremiah 20:10 Lit Every man of my peace
- Jeremiah 20:12 Lit kidneys
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