< Jeremiah 20 >

1 When Pashur, the sonne of Immer, the Priest, which was appointed gouernour in the house of the Lord, heard that Ieremiah prophecied these things,
Pashhur, son of Immer, was a priest and the official in charge of the Lord's Temple. When he heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
2 Then Pashur smote Ieremiah the Prophet, and put him in the stockes that were in the hie gate of Beniamin which was by the House of the Lord.
he beat Jeremiah the prophet and had him put in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate, near to the Lord's Temple.
3 And on the morning, Pashur brought Ieremiah out of the stockes. Then said Ieremiah vnto him, The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib.
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).
4 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee to be a terrour to thy self, and to al thy friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall beholde it, and I will giue all Iudah into the hande of the King of Babel, and he shall cary them captiue into Babel, and shall slay them with the sworde.
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.
5 Moreouer, I will deliuer all the substance of this citie, and all the labours thereof, and al the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the Kings of Iudah will I giue into the hande of their enemies, which shall spoyle them, and take them away and cary them to Babel.
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.
6 And thou Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house, shall go into captiuitie, and thou shalt come to Babel, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buryed there, thou and all thy friendes, to whome thou hast prophecied lyes.
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.”
7 O Lord, thou hast deceiued me, and I am deceiued: thou art stronger then I, and hast preuailed: I am in derision daily: euery one mocketh me.
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.
8 For since I spake, I cryed out of wrong, and proclaimed desolation: therefore the word of the Lord was made a reproche vnto me, and in derision daily.
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.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speake any more in his Name. But his worde was in mine heart as a burning fire shut vp in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
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.
10 For I had heard the railing of many, and feare on euery side. Declare, said they, and wee wil declare it: all my familiars watched for mine halting, saying, It may be that he is deceiued: so we shall preuaile against him, and we shall execute our vengeance vpon him.
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.
11 But the Lord is with me like a mightie gyant: therefore my persecuters shall be ouerthrowen, and shall not preuaile, and shalbe greatly confounded: for they haue done vnwisely, and their euerlasting shame shall neuer be forgotten.
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.
12 But, O Lord of hostes, that tryest the righteous, and seest the reines and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for vnto thee haue I opened my cause.
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.
13 Sing vnto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath deliuered the soule of the poore from the hande of the wicked.
Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he saves the poor from the power of the wicked.
14 Cursed be the day wherein I was borne: and let not the day wherein my mother bare me, be blessed.
May the day I was born be cursed! May the day my mother gave birth to me never be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man, that shewed my father, saying, A man child is borne vnto thee, and comforted him.
May the man be cursed who brought my father the news that made him really happy, saying, “You have a son.”
16 And let that man be as the cities, which the Lord hath ouerturned and repented not: and let him heare the cry in the morning, and the showting at noone tide,
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,
17 Because he hath not slaine me, euen from the wombe, or that my mother might haue bene my graue, or her wobe a perpetual conception.
because he should have killed me in the womb so that my mother would have been my grave, remaining pregnant forever.
18 How is it, that I came forth of the wombe, to see labour and sorowe, that my dayes shoulde be consumed with shame?
Why was I born only to see trouble and sadness, and to end my life in shame?

< Jeremiah 20 >