Old/New Testament
Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah
20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of (A)Immer, who was (B)chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (C)beaten and put him in the (D)stocks that were at the upper (E)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 On the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has (F)called you, but rather [a](G)Magor-missabib. 4 For thus says the Lord, ‘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 carry them away as (K)exiles to Babylon and will slay them with the sword. 5 I will also give over all the (L)wealth of this city, all its produce and all its costly 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)falsely prophesied.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived;
You have (Q)overcome me and 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)proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the (U)word of the Lord 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 endure it.
10 For (Y)I have heard the whispering of many,
“(Z)Terror on every side!
(AA)Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!”
[c]All my (AB)trusted friends,
Watching 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 the (AD)Lord is with me like a dread champion;
Therefore my (AE)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be utterly ashamed, because they have [e]failed,
With an (AF)everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, O Lord of hosts, You who (AG)test the righteous,
Who see the [f]mind and the heart;
Let me (AH)see Your vengeance on them;
For (AI)to You I have set forth my cause.
13 (AJ)Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
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 news
To my father, saying,
“A [g](AM)baby boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.
16 But let that man be like the cities
Which the Lord (AN)overthrew without [h]relenting,
And let him hear an (AO)outcry in the morning
And a [i]shout of alarm at noon;
17 Because he did not (AP)kill me [j]before birth,
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?
Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah
21 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when (AT)King Zedekiah sent to him (AU)Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and (AV)Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please (AW)inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for (AX)Nebuchadnezzar king of (AY)Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us (AZ)according to all His [k]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to (BA)turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will (BB)gather them into the center of this city. 5 I (BC)Myself will war against you with an (BD)outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in (BE)anger and wrath and great indignation. 6 I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great (BF)pestilence. 7 Then afterwards,” declares the Lord, “(BG)I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He (BH)will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I (BI)set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who (BJ)dwells in this city will die by the (BK)sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. 10 For I have (BL)set My face against this city for [l]harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be (BM)given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will (BN)burn it with fire.”’
11 “Then say to the household of the (BO)king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O (BP)house of David, thus says the Lord:
“(BQ)Administer justice [m]every (BR)morning;
And deliver the person who has been robbed from the [n]power of his oppressor,
(BS)That My wrath may not go forth like fire
And (BT)burn with none to extinguish it,
Because of the evil of their deeds.
13 “Behold, (BU)I am against you, O (BV)valley dweller,
O [o]rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
“You men who say, ‘(BW)Who will come down against us?
Or who will enter into our habitations?’
14 “But I will punish you (BX)according to the [p]results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
“And I will (BY)kindle a fire in its forest
That it may devour all its environs.”’”
“Preach the Word”
4 (A)I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to (B)judge the living and the dead, and by His (C)appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach (D)the word; be ready in season and out of season; (E)reprove, rebuke, exhort, with [a]great (F)patience and instruction. 3 For (G)the time will come when they will not endure (H)sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and (I)will turn away their ears from the truth and (J)will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, (K)be sober in all things, (L)endure hardship, do the work of an (M)evangelist, fulfill your (N)ministry.
6 For I am already being (O)poured out as a drink offering, and the time of (P)my departure has come. 7 (Q)I have fought the good fight, I have finished (R)the course, I have kept (S)the faith; 8 in the future there (T)is laid up for me (U)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on (V)that day; and not only to me, but also to (W)all who have loved His (X)appearing.
Personal Concerns
9 (Y)Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for (Z)Demas, having loved (AA)this present [b]world, has deserted me and gone to (AB)Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to [c](AC)Galatia, (AD)Titus to Dalmatia. 11 (AE)Only (AF)Luke is with me. Pick up (AG)Mark and bring him with you, (AH)for he is useful to me for service. 12 But (AI)Tychicus I have sent to (AJ)Ephesus. 13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at (AK)Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 (AL)Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; (AM)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our [d]teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; (AN)may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and (AO)strengthened me, so that through me (AP)the proclamation might [e]be (AQ)fully accomplished, and that all (AR)the Gentiles might hear; and I was (AS)rescued out of (AT)the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will [f](AU)bring me safely to His (AV)heavenly kingdom; (AW)to [g]Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Greet Prisca and (AX)Aquila, and (AY)the household of Onesiphorus. 20 (AZ)Erastus remained at (BA)Corinth, but (BB)Trophimus I left sick at (BC)Miletus. 21 (BD)Make every effort to come before (BE)winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.
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