Jeremiah 20

1 And Pashhur, the son of Immer, the priest who had been appointed leader in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words.

Now Paschor the son of Emmer, the priest, who also had been appointed chief of the house of the Lord, heard Jeremias prophesying these words.

2 And Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and he sent him to the stocks, which were at the upper gate of Benjamin at the house of the Lord.

And he struck him, and cast him into the dungeon which was by the gate of the upper house that was set apart, which was by the house of the Lord.

3 And when it had become light on the next day, Pashhur led Jeremiah from the stocks. And Jeremiah said to him: “The Lord has not called your name: ‘Pashhur,’ but instead: ‘Fear all around.’”

And Paschor brought Jeremias out of the dungeon: and Jeremias said to him, [The Lord] has not called your name Paschor, but Exile.

4 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will give you over to fear, you and all your friends, and they will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. And I will give all of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. And he will lead them away to Babylon, and he will strike them with the sword.

For thus says the Lord, Behold, I [will] give you up to captivity with all your friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see [it]: and I will give you and all Juda into the hands of the king of Babylon, and they shall carry them captives, and cut them in pieces with swords.

5 And I will give away the entire substance of this city, and all its labor, and every precious thing. And I will give all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hands of their enemies. And they will plunder them, and take them away, and lead them into Babylon.

And I will give all the strength of this city, and all the labors of it, and all the treasures of the king of Juda, into the hands of his enemies, and they shall bring them to Babylon.

6 But you, Pashhur, and all the inhabitants of your house, will go into captivity. And you will go to Babylon. And there you shall die. And there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied a lie.”

And you and all the dwellers in your house shall go into captivity: and you shall die in Babylon, and there you and all your friends shall be buried, to whom you have prophesied lies.

7 “You have led me away, O Lord, and I have been led away. You have been stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a derision all day long; everyone mocks me.

You have deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived: you have been strong, and has prevailed: I am become a laughing stock, I am continually mocked every day.

8 For I speak now as I have long spoken: crying out against iniquity and proclaiming devastation. And the word of the Lord has been made into a reproach against me and a derision, all day long.

For I will laugh with my bitter speech, I will call upon rebellion and misery: for the word of the Lord is become a reproach to me and a mockery all my days.

9 Then I said: I will not call him to mind, nor will I speak any longer in his name. And my heart became like a raging fire, enclosed within my bones. And I became weary of continuing to bear it.

Then I said, I will by no means name the name of the Lord, and I will no more at all speak in his name. But it was a burning fire flaming in my bones, and I am utterly weakened on all sides, and can’t bear [up].

10 For I heard the insults of many, and terror all around: ‘Persecute him!’ and, ‘Let us persecute him!’ from all the men who had been at peace with me and who had kept watch by my side. ‘If only there were some way that he might be deceived, and we might prevail against him and obtain vengeance from him!’

For I have heard the reproach of many gathering round, [saying], Conspire you, and let us conspire together against him, [even] all his friends: watch his intentions, if perhaps he shall be deceived, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall be avenged on him.

11 But the Lord is with me, like a strong warrior. For this reason, those who persecute me will fall, and they will be ineffective. They will be greatly confounded. For they have not understood the everlasting disgrace that will never be wiped away.

But the Lord was with me as a mighty man of war: therefore they persecuted [me], but could not perceive [anything against me]; they were greatly confounded, for they perceived not their disgrace, which shall never be forgotten.

12 And you, O Lord of hosts, the Tester of the just, who sees the temperament and the heart: I beg you to let me see your vengeance upon them. For I have revealed my case to you.

O Lord, that prove just [deeds], understanding the reins and hearts, let me see your vengeance upon them: for to you I have revealed my cause.

13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he has freed the soul of the poor from the hand of the wicked.

Sing you to the Lord, sing praise to him: for he has rescued the soul of the poor from the hand of evil-doers.

14 Cursed is the day on which I was born! The day on which my mother gave birth to me: let it not be blessed!

Cursed be the day wherein I was born: the day wherein my mother brought me forth, let it not be blessed.

15 Cursed is the man who announced it to my father, saying, ‘A male child has been born to you,’ causing him to rejoice with gladness.

Cursed be the man who brought the glad tidings to my father, saying, A male child is born to you.

16 Let that man be like the cities that the Lord has overthrown without regret. Let him hear an outcry in the morning, and wailing at the time of midday!

Let that man rejoice as the cities which the Lord overthrew in wrath, and repented not: let him hear crying in the morning, and loud lamentation at noon;

17 So let him be, who did not put me to death from the womb, so that my mother would have been my sepulcher, and her womb would have been my eternal resting place!

because he killed me not in the womb, and my mother became not my tomb, and her womb always great with me.

18 Why did I depart from the womb, so that I would see hardship and sorrow, and so that my days would be consumed by trouble?”

Why is it that I came forth of the womb to see troubles and distresses, and my days are spent in shame?