Jeremiah 20

1 Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in the house of Jehovah, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.

2 Then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah.

3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, Jehovah has not called thy name Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.

4 For thus says Jehovah, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends. And they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall kill them with the sword.

5 Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all the gains of it, and all the precious things of it, yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies. And they shall make them a prey, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.

6 And thou, Pashhur, and all who dwell in thy house shall go into captivity. And thou shall come to Babylon, and there thou shall die, and there thou shall be buried, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou have prophesied falsely.

7 O Jehovah, thou have persuaded me, and I was persuaded. Thou are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I have become a laughing-stock all the day; everyone mocks me.

8 For as often as I speak, I cry out. I cry, Violence and destruction! Because the word of Jehovah is made a reproach to me, and a derision, all the day.

9 And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I cannot.

10 For I have heard the defaming of many, terror on every side. Denounce, and we will denounce him, say all my familiar friends, those who watch for my fall. Perhaps he will be persuaded, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.

11 But Jehovah is with me as an awesome mighty one. Therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail. They shall be utterly put to shame, because they have not dealt wisely, even with an everlasting dishonor which shall never be forgotten.

12 But, O Jehovah of hosts, who tries the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see thy vengeance on them, for to thee I have revealed my cause.

13 Sing to Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah, for he has delivered the soul of the needy man from the hand of evildoers.

14 Cursed be the day in which I was born. Let not the day in which my mother bore me be blessed.

15 Cursed be the man who brought news to my father, saying, A man-child is born to thee, making him very glad.

16 And let that man be as the cities which Jehovah overthrew, and did not relent. And let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime,

17 because he did not kill me from the womb, and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.

18 Why did I come forth out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?