Jeremiah 20
20
Jeremiah and Pashhur
1Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was prophesying. 2So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple.
3The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, “Pashhur, the Lord has changed your name. From now on you are to be called ‘The Man Who Lives in Terror.’#20:3 Hebrew Magor-missabib, which means “surrounded by terror”; also in 20:10. 4For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword. 5And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of the city—the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings—will be carried off to Babylon. 6As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied that everything would be all right.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7O Lord, you misled me,
and I allowed myself to be misled.
You are stronger than I am,
and you overpowered me.
Now I am mocked every day;
everyone laughs at me.
8When I speak, the words burst out.
“Violence and destruction!” I shout.
So these messages from the Lord
have made me a household joke.
9But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord
or speak in his name,
his word burns in my heart like a fire.
It’s like a fire in my bones!
I am worn out trying to hold it in!
I can’t do it!
10I have heard the many rumors about me.
They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.”
They threaten, “If you say anything, we will report it.”
Even my old friends are watching me,
waiting for a fatal slip.
“He will trap himself,” they say,
“and then we will get our revenge on him.”
11But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior.
Before him my persecutors will stumble.
They cannot defeat me.
They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated.
Their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
you test those who are righteous,
and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.
Let me see your vengeance against them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
13Sing to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
For though I was poor and needy,
he rescued me from my oppressors.
14Yet I curse the day I was born!
May no one celebrate the day of my birth.
15I curse the messenger who told my father,
“Good news—you have a son!”
16Let him be destroyed like the cities of old
that the Lord overthrew without mercy.
Terrify him all day long with battle shouts,
17because he did not kill me at birth.
Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb,
that her body had been my grave!
18Why was I ever born?
My entire life has been filled
with trouble, sorrow, and shame.
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Jeremiah 20: NLT
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Jeremiah 20
20
Jeremiah and Pashhur
1Pashhur the priest was the official in charge of the Lord’s temple. He was the son of Immer. Pashhur heard Jeremiah prophesying that Jerusalem would be destroyed. 2So he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten. Then Pashhur put him in prison at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple. 3The next day Pashhur set him free. Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you isn’t Pashhur. The Lord’s name for you is Terror on Every Side. 4The Lord says to you, ‘I will make you a terror to yourself. You will also be a terror to all your friends. With your own eyes you will see them die. Their enemies will kill them with swords. I will hand over all the people of Judah to the king of Babylon. He will carry them away to Babylon or kill them with swords. 5I will hand over all the wealth of this city to Judah’s enemies. I will give them all its products and everything of value. I will turn over to them all the treasures that belonged to the kings of Judah. They will take these things and carry them off to Babylon. 6Pashhur, you and everyone who lives in your house will also be forced to go there. You have prophesied lies to all your friends. So all of you will die and be buried in Babylon.’ ”
Jeremiah Complains to the Lord
7You tricked me, Lord, and I was tricked.
You overpowered me and won.
People make fun of me all day long.
Everyone laughs at me.
8Every time I speak, I cry out.
All you ever tell me to talk about
is fighting and trouble.
Your message has brought me nothing but dishonor.
It has made me suffer shame all day long.
9Sometimes I think, “I won’t talk about his message anymore.
I’ll never speak in his name again.”
But then your message burns in my heart.
It’s like a fire deep inside my bones.
I’m tired of holding it in.
In fact, I can’t.
10I hear many people whispering,
“There is terror on every side!
Bring charges against Jeremiah! Let’s bring charges against him!”
All my friends
are waiting for me to slip.
They are saying, “Perhaps he will be tricked
into making a mistake.
Then we’ll win out over him.
We’ll get even with him.”
11But you are with me like a mighty warrior.
So those who are trying to harm me will trip and fall.
They won’t win out over me.
They will fail. They’ll be totally put to shame.
Their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord, you rule over all.
You test those who do what is right.
You see what is in people’s hearts and minds.
So pay them back for what they’ve done.
I’ve committed my cause to you.
13Sing to the Lord, you people!
Give praise to him!
He saves the lives of people in need.
He saves them from the power of sinful people.
14May the day I was born be cursed!
May the day I was born to my mother not be blessed!
15May the man who brought my father the news be cursed!
He’s the one who made my father very glad.
He said, “You have had a baby! It’s a boy!”
16May that man be like the towns
the Lord destroyed without pity.
May that man hear loud weeping in the morning.
May he hear a battle cry at noon.
17He should have killed me in my mother’s body.
He should have made my mother my grave.
He should have let her body stay large forever.
18Why did I ever come out of my mother’s body?
I’ve seen nothing but trouble and sorrow.
My days will end in shame.
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