Jeremiah 20

1 Pashhur son of Immer the priest—he was a leading officer—heard Jeremiah prophesying these words before Yahweh's house.

But when Pashchur the son of Immer the priest, who was chief superintendent in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words:

2 So Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet and then placed him in the stocks that were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in Yahweh's house.

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

3 It happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “Yahweh has not called your name Pashhur, but you are Magor Missabib.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashchur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. And Jeremiah said unto him, Not Pashchur [Fulness of Freedom] hath the Lord called thy name, but Magor-missabib [[Terror all around]].

4 For Yahweh says this, 'Look, I will make you an object of horror, you and all of your loved ones, for they will fall by the sword of their enemies and your eyes will see it. I will give all of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will make them captives in Babylon or attack them with the sword.

For thus hath said the Lord, 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 thy eyes shall see it; and all Judah will I give into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall lead them into exile to Babylon, and shall smite them with the sword.

5 I will give him all the wealth of this city and all of its riches, all of its precious items and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. I will place these things in the hand of your enemies, and they will seize them. They will take them and bring them to Babylon.

And I will give up all the wealth of this city, and all its acquisitions, and all its precious things; and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them, and take them and carry them away to Babylon.

6 But you, Pashhur, and all the inhabitants of your house will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon and die there. You and all of your loved ones to whom you prophesied deceitful things will be buried there.'”

And thou, Pashchur, and all the inhabitants of thy house, shall go into captivity; and to Babylon shalt thou come, and there thou shalt die, and there shalt thou be buried, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied with falsehood.

7 “Yahweh, you deceived me, and I was deceived. You are stronger than I, and you overpowered me. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.

Thou didst persuade me, O Lord, and I was persuaded; thou laidst thy [hand] strongly on me, and didst prevail: I am laughed at all the time, every one mocketh me.

8 For whenever I have spoken, I have called out and proclaimed, 'Violence and destruction.' Then Yahweh's word has become for me reproach and mocking every day.

For as often as I speak must I cry out, violence and wasting must I proclaim; because the word of the Lord is become unto me a disgrace, and a derision, all the time.

9 If I say, 'I will not think about Yahweh anymore. I will not speak any longer in his name.' Then it is like a fire in my heart, held within my bones. So I struggle to contain it but I cannot.

And I thought, I will not make mention of him, and I will not speak any more in his name. But it became in my heart as a burning fire enclosed within my bones, and I was weary with enduring, and I could not overcome it.

10 I have heard rumors of terror from many people all around. 'Report! We must report it!' Those who are close to me watch to see if I will fall. 'Perhaps he can be tricked. If so, we can overpower him and take our revenge on him.'

For I heard the defaming of many, angry assemblies on every side, “Tell, and we will tell of him.” All the men who ought to seek my welfare, watch for my fall; saying, “Peradventure he may he enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we will then take our revenge on him.”

11 But Yahweh is with me like a powerful warrior, so the ones pursuing me will stagger. They will not defeat me. They will be greatly ashamed, because they will not succeed. They will have unending shame, it will never be forgotten.

But the Lord is with me as a mighty powerful one; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail: they will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper; [it is] an everlasting confusion which will never be forgotten.

12 But Yahweh of hosts, you examine the righteous and see the mind and the heart. Let me see your vengeance on them for I have committed my cause to you.

But, O Lord of hosts, that probest the righteous, seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I laid open my cause.

13 Sing to Yahweh! Praise Yahweh! For he has rescued the lives of those who are oppressed from the hand of evildoers.

Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord; for he hath delivered the soul of the needy from the hand of evil-doers.

14 Let the day when I was born be cursed. Do not let the day that my mother bore me be blessed.

Cursed be the day whereon I was born: the day on which my mother bore me shall not be blessed.

15 Let the man who informed my father be cursed, the one who said, 'A male child has been born to you,' causing great joy.

Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born unto thee. How very glad did he make him!

16 Let that man be like the cities that Yahweh overthrew and he did not have compassion on them. Let him hear a cry for help in the dawn, a battle cry at noontime,

And may that same man become like the cities which the Lord overthrew, and bethought himself not; and may he hear a cry of anguish in the morning, and a tumultuous noise at noontide;

17 because he did not kill me in the womb, making my mother to be my tomb, a womb that was pregnant forever.

Because I was not slain [as I escaped] from the womb; or that my mother might have become unto me my grave, and her womb have been affected with a perpetual pregnancy.

18 Why is it that I came out from the womb to see troubles and agony, so that my days are filled with shame?”

Wherefore was this that I came forth out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow, that my days should pass away in shame?