Old/New Testament
Chapter 20
1 When the priest Pashhur, the son of Immer, who was the chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah proclaiming this prophecy, 2 he ordered him to be scourged, and then placed him in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the house of the Lord.
3 The next morning, after Pashhur had released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur but ‘Terror-on-Every-Side.’ 4 For thus says the Lord, ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will deliver all Judah to the king of Babylon, and he will take the people captive and carry them off to Babylon or put them to the sword.
5 “ ‘All the wealth of this city, all of its cherished possessions, and all of the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over as plunder to their enemies who will seize it and carry it off to Babylon. 6 Furthermore, you, Pashhur, and all the members of your household will be taken into captivity and led off to Babylon. There you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your friends, because you have prophesied falsely to them.’ ”
Jeremiah’s Confession[a]
7 O Lord, you deceived me,
and I allowed myself to be deceived.
You were too powerful for me,
and you have prevailed.
All day long I am an object of ridicule;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I must cry out;
my message is violence and destruction.
For the word of the Lord has caused me to endure
reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any longer in his name,”
within me I experience a fire burning in my heart
and imprisoned in my bones.
I am weary holding it in,
and I can no longer do so.
10 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror surrounds us.
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All those who were my close friends
are waiting for me to stumble, saying,
“Perhaps we can trick him,
and we will be able to prevail
and take our revenge against him.”
11 But the Lord is at my side
like a mighty warrior.
Therefore, my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
Because of their failure,
they will be greatly shamed,
and the disgrace that they will endure
will be everlasting and unforgettable.
12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous
and probe the mind and the heart.
Let me behold your retribution on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord.
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked.
14 Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
May the day when my mother bore me
be forever unblessed.
15 Cursed be the man
who brought the news to my father.
“A child, a son, has been born to you,”
thereby bringing great joy to his heart.
16 Let that man be like the cities
that the Lord overthrew without mercy.
Let him hear the cry of warning in the morning
and shouts of battle at noon
17 because he did not kill me in the womb.
Then my mother would have been my grave,
with her womb confining me forever.
18 Why did I come forth from the womb
to see toil and sorrow
and spend my days in shame?
Prophecies in the Last Years of Jerusalem[b]
Chapter 21
God’s Response to Zedekiah’s Prayer. 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, and the priest Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, with this request, 2 “Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will perform one of his wonderful works for us as he has done in the past and force him to withdraw.”
3 However, Jeremiah replied to them, “This is what you are to say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I will turn against you the weapons of war with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls, and I will gather them together in the center of the city. 5 I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and mighty arm, in anger, fury, and great rage.
6 “I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They will die as the result of a terrible plague. 7 After that, says the Lord, I will deliver King Zedekiah of Judah and his servants and the people, all those in this city who have managed to survive pestilence, war, and famine, into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and into the hands of their enemies and those who are determined to slay them. He will put them to the sword and show them no pity or mercy or compassion.
8 “You are to say further to this people: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am offering you a choice between the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by pestilence, but those who leave and surrender to the Chaldeans who are now besieging you will survive and escape with their lives. 10 For I am determined that this city must endure disaster and not revel in prosperity, says the Lord. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it to the ground.”
Prophecies concerning the Kings
11 To the royal houses of Judah, say:
Listen to the word of the Lord.
12 O house of David,
thus says the Lord:
Dispense justice each morning
and deliver the victim from his oppressor,
lest my wrath burst forth like fire
that burns and cannot be quenched
because of your evil deeds.
13 [c]Beware! I am against you,
O residents of the valley,
O rock of the plain, says the Lord,
you who say, “Who can possibly attack us and penetrate our places of refuge?”
14 I will punish you, says the Lord,
as your deeds deserve.
I will kindle a fire in your forests,
and it will devour everything around it.
Chapter 4
The Preaching of a Man of God[a]
The Charge To Preach. 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,[b] and by his appearing and his kingdom, I charge you: 2 preach the message; be persistent in doing so, whether in season or out of season; convince, reprove, and encourage, but with great patience and instruction.
The Need for Preaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not accept sound doctrine, but they will follow their own desires and accumulate teachers who will preach to their itching ears. 4 They will shut their ears to the truth and be captivated by myths. 5 As for you, always be sober. Endure hardships, do the work of preaching the gospel, and carry out your ministry to the fullest extent.[c]
The Triumphs of a Man of God[d]
Reward for Fidelity. 6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 8 Now waiting for me is the crown[e] of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day—and not only to me, but to all those who have eagerly longed for his appearance.
Comfort in Trial. 9 Make every effort to come to me as soon as possible. 10 Because of his love of worldly pursuits, Demas[f] has deserted me and gone off to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has left for Dalmatia. 11 No one but Luke[g] is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he has been helpful to me in my ministry.
12 I have sent Tychicus[h] to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring along with you the cloak[i] that I left with Carpus in Troas, and also the scrolls, particularly the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith[j] has done me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for his deeds. 15 Be on guard yourself against him, for he has been strongly opposed to our teaching.
16 At the first hearing of my case, no one came to court to support me. Every one of them deserted me. May it not be held against them! 17 But the Lord stood at my side[k] and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
Thus was I rescued from the lion’s jaws. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.[l]
Conclusion[m]
19 Final Greetings. Greet Prisca and Aquila,[n] and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus[o] remained in Corinth, while I left Trophimus ill in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.[p]
22 Farewell. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you.[q]
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