Jeremiah — Chapter 20

Pashhur son of Immer, the priest who was chief officer of the House of GOD, heard Jeremiah prophesy these things.

Pashhur thereupon had Jeremiah flogged and put in the cellacell Meaning of Heb. uncertain. at the Upper Benjamin Gate in the House of GOD.

The next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the cell.But Jeremiah said to him, “GOD has named you not Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.bMagor-missabib I.e., “Terror all around”; cf. v. 10.

For thus said GOD: I am going to deliver you and all your friends over to terror: they will fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. I will deliver all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon; he will exile them to Babylon or put them to the sword.

And I will deliver all the wealth, all the riches, and all the prized possessions of this city, and I will also deliver all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hands of their enemies: they shall seize them as plunder and carry them off to Babylon.

As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you shall go into captivity. You shall come to Babylon; there you shall die and there you shall be buried, and so shall all your friends to whom you prophesied falsely.”

You enticed me, O ETERNAL One, and I was enticed;You overpowered me and You prevailed.I have become a constant laughingstock,Everyone jeers at me.

For every time I speak, I must cry out,Must shout, “Lawlessness and rapine!”For the word of GOD causes meConstant disgrace and contempt.

I thought, “I will not mention it,No more will I speak in God’s name”—But [the divine word] was like a raging fire in my heart,Shut up in my bones;I could not hold it in, I was helpless.

I heard the whispers of the crowd—Terror all around:“Inform! Let us inform against him!”All my [supposed] friendsAre waiting for me to stumble:“Perhaps he can be entrapped,And we can prevail against himAnd take our vengeance on him.”

But GOD is with me like a mighty warrior;Therefore my persecutors shall stumble;They shall not prevail and shall not succeed.They shall be utterly shamedWith a humiliation for all time,Which shall not be forgotten.

O GOD of Hosts, You who test the righteous,Who examine the heart and the mind,Let me see Your retribution upon them,For I lay my case before You.

Sing unto GOD,Praise GOD—Who has rescued the needyFrom the hands of evildoers!

Accursed be the dayThat I was born!Let not the day be blessedWhen my mother bore me!

Accursed be the manWho brought my father the newsAnd said, “A boyIs born to you,”And gave him such joy!

Let that man become like the citiescthe cities I.e., Sodom and Gomorrah; cf. Gen. 19.24–25. That GOD overthrew without relenting!Let him hear shrieks in the morningAnd battle shouts at noontide—

Because [God]d[God] Or “he,” i.e., the message-bearer of vv. 15–16. did not kill me before birthSo that my mother might be my grave,And her womb big [with me] for all time.

Why did I ever issue from the womb,To see misery and woe,To spend all my days in shame!