Jeremiah 20
1 Pashhur, son of Immer, was a priest and the official in charge of the Lord's Temple. When he heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
Now Pashur, the son of Immer, the priest, who was also chief overseer in the house of Jehovah, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
2 he beat Jeremiah the prophet and had him put in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate, near to the Lord's Temple.
Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks, that were at the high gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah.
3 The following day, when Pashhur had Jeremiah released from the stocks, Jeremiah told him, “The Lord doesn't call you Pashhur (tear in pieces), but Magor-missabib (terror is everywhere).
And on the next day Pashur took Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah to him, Jehovah calleth thee, not Pashur, but Magor-missabib [[not Safety on every side, but Terror on every side]].
4 For this is what the Lord says: I'm going to make you terrified—you and all those you love. Enemies will kill them as you watch. I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will kill some, and the rest he will take away into exile in Babylon.
For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I am about to make thee a terror to thyself and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, thine eyes looking on; and all Judah will I give into the hand of the king of Babylon, who shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall smite them with the sword.
5 I'm going to give it all away. All the wealth of this city, all the results of hard work, all the valuables, all the crown jewels of Judah's kings—I'm going to hand it over to their enemies, who will take it as plunder and carry it off to Babylon.
And I will give all the wealth of this city, and all its possessions, and all its precious things, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give, into the hand of their enemies, and they shall spoil them, and take them and carry them to Babylon.
6 You, Pashhur, and everyone who lives with you, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon. You will die there and be buried—you and all those you love, those to whom you prophesied lies.”
And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thy house, shall go into captivity; thou shalt go to Babylon, and there shalt thou die, and there shalt thou be buried, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied falsely.
7 You fooled me, Lord, and I let myself be fooled! You're stronger than me—you've won! I've become a joke people laugh at all day long. Everyone is mocking me.
Thou didst persuade me, O Jehovah, and I was persuaded; Thou wast stronger than I, and didst prevail. But I am in derision daily, Every one mocketh me.
8 This is because every time I open my mouth I have to shout out warnings of violence and destruction. The Lord's message has become the reason people criticize and ridicule me the whole time.
For whenever I speak, I cry out on account of violence, And complain of oppression; For the word of Jehovah bringeth upon me reproach, And daily derision.
9 If I tell myself, “I won't talk about him anymore, I won't even mention his name,” then his message is like a fire trapped within me, burning me from the inside out. I'm getting tired of holding it in. I just can't win.
So I say, I will no more make mention of him, Nor speak any more in his name; But his word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones, And I am weary with forbearing, And I cannot refrain.
10 I've heard many people gossiping: “He's the one who says, ‘terror is everywhere!’ He has to be reported! Report what he's doing!” All my good friends are waiting for me to slip up. “Maybe he'll make a mistake so we can defeat him and get our revenge on him,” they say.
For I hear the slander of many, terror on every side; “Tell us something against him, and we will denounce him.” All my familiar friends, they who leave not my side, [[say, ]] “Perhaps he will be enticed, So that we may prevail against him, And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord stands beside me like a powerful warrior. So those who are attacking me will fall. They won't win! Because they're not successful they will be totally disgraced. Their shame won't ever be forgotten.
But Jehovah is on my side, like a mighty champion, Therefore shall my persecutors stumble, and not prevail; They shall be covered with shame, because they act not wisely, —With everlasting shame, that shall not be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you know without question who is living right. You examine people's thoughts and feelings. So let me see your punishment fall on them, because I've trusted you to judge my case.
O Jehovah of hosts, thou that provest the righteous, That seest the reins and the heart, Let me see thy vengeance on them, For to thee have I laid open my cause!
13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he saves the poor from the power of the wicked.
Sing to Jehovah! Praise ye Jehovah! For he delivereth the oppressed From the hand of evil-doers.
14 May the day I was born be cursed! May the day my mother gave birth to me never be blessed!
Cursed be the day on which I was born; Let not the day on which my mother bore me be blessed!
15 May the man be cursed who brought my father the news that made him really happy, saying, “You have a son.”
Cursed be the man who brought the tidings to my father, Saying, “A son is born to thee,” making him very glad!
16 May that man be like the towns that the Lord destroyed without mercy. May he hear shouts of alarm in the morning and war-cries at noon,
Let that man be like the cities which Jehovah overthrew, and relented not; Let him hear an outcry in the morning, And an alarm at noontide;
17 because he should have killed me in the womb so that my mother would have been my grave, remaining pregnant forever.
Because he slew me not before I saw the light, So that my mother might have been my grave, And her womb have been great with me forever!
18 Why was I born only to see trouble and sadness, and to end my life in shame?
Wherefore came I forth from the womb, to see weariness and sorrow, And that my days might be consumed in shame?
