Jeremiah 20

1 Pashhur, the son of Immer, was a priest who supervised the temple guards. He heard those things that I had prophesied.

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 [So he arrested me]. Then he [commanded guards to] whip me and fasten my feet in (stocks/a wooden frame) at the Benjamin Gate of Yahweh’s temple.

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 The next day, when Pashhur released me, I said to him, “Pashhur, Yahweh is giving you a new name. From now on, your name will be ‘Surrounded by Terror’,

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

4 because Yahweh says this [to you]: ‘I will cause you and your friends to be terrified. You will watch them being killed by your enemies’ swords. I will enable the [army of the] king of Babylon to capture the people of Judah. Those soldiers will take some of the people to Babylon, and they will kill others with their swords.

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 enable their soldiers to take away [other things in] Jerusalem. They will take to Babylon all the very valuable things that belonged to your kings.

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 And [as for] you, Pashhur, they will take you and all your family to Babylon. You and your family and all your friends who have prophesied things that are lies will die there and be buried there.’”

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 [One day I said this to Yahweh]: “Yahweh, [when you chose me to be a prophet, ] deceived me, and I allowed you to deceive me. You insisted that I [become a prophet] and you are stronger than I am. And now everyone [HYP] ridicules me. They make fun of me all the day.

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 When I tell [people your messages], I shout saying, ‘[Yahweh is going to cause you to experience] violence and destruction!’ So because I tell them those messages from you, they insult me and scoff at me 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 But if I would say, ‘I will never mention Yahweh or say anything about him, [MTY]’ [it would be as though] your message would burn in my inner being like [SIM] a fire; it would be like a fire in my bones. Sometimes I try to remain silent and not proclaim your messages, but I am not able to do that.

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 I hear many people whispering [about me], saying ‘[He is the man who proclaims that there will be things that cause us to] be terrified everywhere. We must tell [the authorities what he is saying]! We must denounce him!’ [Even] my best friends are waiting for me to say something that is wrong. [They are saying], ‘Perhaps we can cause him to say something wrong, and if he does, we will be able to discredit 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 [you], Yahweh, are helping me like [SIM] a strong warrior, so [it is as though] you will cause those who persecute me to stumble, and they will not defeat me. They will be completely disgraced because of being unable to defeat me; and other people will never forget that they were disgraced.

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 Commander of the armies of angels, you examine [all] those who are righteous; you know [all that is in] their inner beings and what they think. Allow me to see you getting revenge on those [who want to harm me], because I trust that you will do for me what is right.”

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 Yahweh! Praise Yahweh! He rescues [poor and] needy people, from those [SYN] who are 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 But I hope/desire that the day that I was born will be cursed. I do not want [anyone to] celebrate that day.

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

15 And [as for] that man who brought to my father the news, and caused him to be very happy, by saying “[You wife] has given birth to a son for you”, I hope/desire that he [also] will be cursed.

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

16 Allow him to be destroyed like the cities that Yahweh destroyed [long ago], without acting mercifully [toward them]. Cause that man to hear the people wailing in the morning, and [to hear the enemy soldiers shout their] battle cries at noon.

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 [I want that to happen to him] because he did not kill me before I was born. I wish that I had died in my mother’s womb, and that my mother’s body would have been [like] [MET] my grave.

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

18 I have continually experienced much trouble and sorrow, and I am disgraced now when I am about to die; why was it necessary [RHQ] for me to me born?

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