Jeremiah 20
20
Pashhur Imprisons Jeremiah
1Now the priest, Immer’s son Pashhur, the chief officer of the Lord’s temple, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah and put him in prison at Upper Benjamin Gate that was in the Lord’s temple.
3The next day when Pashhur took Jeremiah out of prison, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord doesn’t call you Pashhur, but he calls you Terror Everywhere. 4This is what the Lord says: I’m going to make you terrify yourself and all your friends. Their enemies’ swords will kill them, and you will see it with your own eyes. I will hand all of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take the people away as captives to Babylon or kill them with swords. 5I will hand all the riches of this city over to their enemies. This will include all its produce, all its valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. Their enemies will loot them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6And you, Pashhur, and all those who live in your house will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and you will die there. You will be buried there together with all your friends to whom you prophesied these lies.”
Jeremiah Prays to the LORD
7O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived.
You overpowered me and won.
I’ve been made fun of all day long.
Everyone mocks me.
8Each time I speak, I have to cry out and shout,
“Violence and destruction!”
The Lord’s word has made me the object of insults
and contempt all day long.
9I think to myself, “I can forget the Lord
and no longer speak his name.”
But ⌞his word⌟ is inside me like a burning fire shut up in my bones.
I wear myself out holding it in, but I can’t do it any longer.
10I have heard many ⌞people⌟ whispering,
“Terror is everywhere!
Report him! Let’s report him!”
All my closest friends are waiting to see me stumble.
They say, “Maybe he will be tricked.
Then we can overpower him and take revenge on him.”
11But the Lord is on my side like a terrifying warrior.
That is why those who persecute me will stumble. They can’t win.
They will be very ashamed that they can’t succeed.
Their eternal shame will not be forgotten.
12But the Lord of Armies examines the righteous.
He sees their motives and thoughts.
I want to see you take revenge on them,
because I’ve brought my case to you.
13Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
He has rescued the lives of needy people
from the power of wicked people.
14Cursed is the day that I was born,
the day that my mother gave birth to me.
May it not be blessed.
15Cursed is the man who made my father very happy with the news
that he had just become the father of a baby boy.
16May that man be like the cities
that the Lord destroyed without pity.
May he hear a cry of alarm in the morning
and a battle cry at noon.
17If only he had killed me while I was in the womb.
Then my mother would have been my grave,
and she would have always been pregnant.
18Why did I come out of the womb?
All I’ve seen is trouble and grief.
I will finish my days in shame.
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Jeremiah 20: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 20
20
Jeremiah and Pashhur
1Pashhur son of Immer was a priest. He was the highest officer in the Temple of the Lord. He heard Jeremiah prophesying in the Temple courtyard. 2So he 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 the Lord’s name for you is Terror on Every Side. 4That is your name because this is 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. And I will give all the people of Judah to the king of Babylon. He will take them away as captives to Babylon. Then his army will kill them with swords. 5I will give all the wealth of this city to its enemies. I will give them its goods and its valuables. I will give the treasures of the kings of Judah to their enemies. The enemies will carry Judah and all its valuables off to Babylon. 6And Pashhur, you and everyone in your house will be taken away. You will be forced to go as a captive to Babylon. You will die and be buried there. Your friends you have prophesied lies to will also die and be buried in Babylon!’”
Jeremiah’s Fifth Complaint
7Lord, you tricked me, and I was fooled.
You are stronger than I am. So you won.
I have become a joke.
Everyone makes 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 I received from the Lord.
But this only brings me insults. The people make fun of me all day long.
9Sometimes I say to myself,
“I will forget about the Lord.
I will not speak anymore in his name.”
But then the Lord’s message becomes like a burning fire inside me.
It feels like it burns deep within my bones.
I get tired of trying to hold the Lord’s message inside of me.
And finally, I cannot hold it in.
10I hear many people whispering about me:
“Terror on every side!
Let’s tell the rulers about him.”
My friends are all just waiting for me to make some mistake.
They are saying,
“Maybe we can trick Jeremiah.
Then we can defeat him.
Then we can pay him back.”
11But the Lord is with me like a strong warrior.
So those who are chasing me will trip and fall.
They will not defeat me.
They will be very disappointed and ashamed.
Their shame will never be forgotten.
12Lord of heaven’s armies, you test good people.
You look deeply into the heart and mind of a person.
I have 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 life of the poor.
He saves them from the power of wicked people.
Jeremiah’s Sixth Complaint
14Let there be a curse on the day I was born.
Let there be no blessing on the day when my mother gave birth to me.
15Let there be a curse on the man
who brought my father the news:
“You have a son!”
This made my father glad.
16Let that man be like the towns
the Lord destroyed without pity.
Let that man hear loud crying in the morning.
And let him hear battle cries at noon.
17This is because he did not kill me before I was born.
Then my mother would have been my grave.
I would never have been born.
18Why did I have to come out of my mother’s body?
All I have known is trouble and sorrow.
And my life will end in shame.
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