Jeremiah 20
20
Confronting a False Prophet
1When Pashhur son of Immer the kohen, who was chief officer in the House of Adonai, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
2Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate by the House of Adonai.
3The following morning, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “Adonai no longer calls your name Pashhur, but Magormissabib.
4For thus says Adonai: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror both to yourself and to everyone you love. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, while your eyes look on. So I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon and will slay them with the sword.
5“Moreover I will give away all the wealth of this city, and all its produce and its precious things, even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon.
6“As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity, and you will go to Babylon. So there you will die, and there you will be buried—you and all your friends—to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
Fire Burning in My Bones
7Adonai, You enticed me, so I was enticed. You overpowered me, and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long. Everyone mocks me.
8For whenever I speak, I cry out, I proclaim, “Violence and ruin!” For the word of Adonai is scorn and ridicule to me all day long.
9But if I say: “I won’t mention Him, or speak any more in His Name,” then it is like fire burning in my heart— shut up in my bones— I weary myself holding it in, but I cannot.
10For I heard the whispering of many: “‘Terror on every side?’ Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” Even all my close friends are watching for my fall: “Perhaps he may be deceived, so we’ll get the better of him, and we’ll get our revenge on him.”
11But Adonai is with me like a dreadful warrior. Therefore my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they are not insightful and not wise, they will be utterly shamed— an everlasting disgrace, never to be forgotten.
12Yet, Adonai–Tzva’ot— testing the righteous, seeing the mind and the heart, let me see Your vengeance on them! For to You have I presented my case.
13Sing to Adonai, praise Adonai! For He has delivered the soul of the needy one from the hand of evildoers.
14Cursed be the day I was born! The day that my mother bore me— may it never be blessed!
15Cursed be the one who brought the news to my father, saying, “A baby boy is born to you!” making him so glad.
16Now let that one be like the cities which Adonai overturned, with no relenting— let him hear a cry in the morning and a shout of alarm at noon,
17since he did not kill me in the womb, so my mother might have been my grave—her womb filled forever.
18Why did I ever come forth out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow, and my days end in shame?
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Jeremiah 20
20
Jeremiah and Pashhur
1Pashhur son of Immer was a priest. He was the highest officer in the Temple of the Lord. When he heard Jeremiah say those things in the Temple yard, 2he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten. And he had Jeremiah’s hands and feet locked between large blocks of wood. This was at the Upper Gate of Benjamin of the Lord’s Temple. 3The next day Pashhur took Jeremiah out from between the blocks of wood. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur. Now his name for you is ‘Surrounded by Terror.’ 4That is your name because of what the Lord says: ‘I will soon make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. You will watch enemies killing your friends with swords. I will give all the people of Judah to the king of Babylon. He will take them away to the country of Babylon, and his army will kill the people of Judah with their swords. 5The people of Jerusalem worked hard to build things and become wealthy, but I will give all these things to their enemies. The king in Jerusalem has many treasures, but I will give all the treasures to the enemy. The enemy will take them and carry them away to the country of Babylon. 6And, Pashhur, you and all the people living in your house will be taken away. You will be forced to go and live in the country of Babylon. You will die in Babylon, and you will be buried in that foreign country. You told lies to your friends. You said these things would not happen. But all your friends will also die and be buried in Babylon.’”
Jeremiah’s Fifth Complaint
7Lord, you tricked me, and I certainly was fooled.
You are stronger than I am, so you won.
I have become a joke.
People laugh at me and make fun of me all day long.
8Every time I speak, I shout.
I am always shouting about violence and destruction.
I tell the people about the message that I received from the Lord.
But they only insult me and make fun of me.
9Sometimes I say to myself, “I will forget about him.
I will not speak anymore in his name.”
But when I say that, his message is like a fire burning inside me!
It feels like it is burning deep in my bones!
I get tired of trying to hold his message inside.
And finally, I am not able to hold it in.
10I hear people whispering against me.
Everywhere, I hear things that frighten me.
Even my friends are speaking against me.
People are just waiting for me to make a mistake.
They are saying, “Let us lie and say that he did something bad.
Maybe we can trick Jeremiah.
Then we will have him.
We will finally be rid of him.
Then we will grab him
and take our revenge on him.”
11But the Lord is with me.
He is like a strong soldier.
So those who are chasing me will fall.
They will not defeat me.
They will fail.
They will be disappointed.
They will be ashamed,
and they will never forget that shame.
12Lord All-Powerful, you test good people.
You look deeply into a person’s mind.
I told you my arguments against these people.
So let me see you give them the punishment they deserve.
13Sing to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
He saves the lives of the poor!
He saves them from the wicked!
Jeremiah’s Sixth Complaint
14Curse the day that I was born!
Don’t bless the day my mother had me.
15Curse the man who told my father the news that I was born.
“It’s a boy!” he said.
“You have a son.”
He made my father very happy
when he told him the news.
16Let that man be like the cities the Lord destroyed.#20:16 cities the Lord destroyed That is, Sodom and Gomorrah. See Gen. 19.
He had no pity on them.
Let him hear shouts of war in the morning;
let him hear battle cries at noontime,
17because he did not kill me
while I was in my mother’s womb.
If he had killed me then,
my mother would have been my grave,
and I would not have been born.
18Why did I have to come out of her body?
All I have seen is trouble and sorrow,
and my life will end in shame.
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