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
Revised Standard Version
Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur
20 Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. 3 On the morrow, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on every side. 4 For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 5 Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them, and seize them, and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity; to Babylon you shall go; and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
Jeremiah Denounces His Persecutors
7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me,
and I was deceived;
thou art stronger than I,
and thou hast prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
every one mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10 For I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my familiar friends,
watching for my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived,
then we can overcome him,
and take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of hosts, who triest the righteous,
who seest the heart and the mind,
let me see thy vengeance upon them,
for to thee have I committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man
who brought the news to my father,
“A son is born to you,”
making him very glad.
16 Let that man be like the cities
which the Lord overthrew without pity;
let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
17 because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave,
and her womb for ever great.
18 Why did I come forth from the womb
to see toil and sorrow,
and spend my days in shame?
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.