20 Immer's son Pashhur was the priest who had authority in the Lord 's temple. He heard Jeremiah's message about Jerusalem. 2 So he told his men to beat Jeremiah. Then they tied Jeremiah up with heavy pieces of wood on his legs. That was at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord 's temple. 3 The next day, Pashhur let Jeremiah go free. Jeremiah said to him, ‘The Lord 's name for you is not “Pashhur”. It is “Terror is all around”. 4 The Lord says, “I will send enemies to make you and your friends very afraid. You yourself will see enemies kill all your friends in war. I will put Judah's people under the power of Babylon's king. He will take some of them away as prisoners. His soldiers will kill others of them. 5 I will give all the riches in this city to Judah's enemies. I will give them all the things that the people have worked hard to get. They will take all the valuable things that belonged to the people, and to the kings of Judah. They will take everything away to Babylon. 6 They will also take you, Pashhur, and everybody who lives in your house. They will take you as prisoners to Babylon. You will die there and people will bury you there. The same thing will happen to all your friends. You spoke false messages to these people, as if they were messages from me.” ’
7 Lord , you forced me to become a prophet,
and I let you do that.
You used your power to make me agree,
and you won.
Now everybody laughs at me and they insult me.
8 When I speak your message, I have to say,
‘Terrible trouble is coming!’
When I shout that message from the Lord ,
people laugh at me.
They insult me.
9 Sometimes I think,
‘I will say nothing about the Lord or his message.’
But then his message burns like a fire inside me.
It gives me pain in my mind and my body.
I cannot keep his message to myself.
I have to speak it.
10 I hear what people are saying against me.
They say, ‘Terror is all around him! [ a ]
We should tell the officers what he is saying.’
All my friends want me to make a mistake
so that they can accuse me.
They say, ‘Perhaps we can cause him to say something wrong.
Then we will have power over him.
We will pay him back for the trouble he has given us.’
11 But the Lord is with me,
like a brave soldier who will fight for me.
So people who want to hurt me will fail.
They will not get power over me.
They will be very ashamed because they have failed.
Nobody will ever forget their shame.
12 Lord Almighty, you test righteous people,
to see if they are faithful.
You know what people think.
You know their feelings.
I trust you to show that I am not guilty.
So punish those people who want to hurt me.
13 Sing to the Lord !
Praise the Lord !
He rescues poor people
from the power of wicked people.
14 I would like to curse the day that I was born.
That day was not a happy day,
the day that my mother gave birth to me.
15 That day, a man told my father,
‘Good news! You have a son!’
I would like to curse that man too.
16 May the Lord destroy that man,
as he completely destroyed those cities long ago. [ b ]
I want that man to hear people who are weeping in the morning.
I want him to hear the noise of battles at noon.
17 He should have killed me before I was born.
I should have died inside my mother.
She would have held me inside her.
That would have been my grave for ever.
18 I should have stayed in that safe place.
In my life, I only receive trouble and pain.
When I die, all I will have is shame.
20 Pashhur 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, 2 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. 3 The 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.’ 4 That 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. 5 The 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. 6 And, 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.’”
7 Lord , 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.
8 Every 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.
9 Sometimes 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.
10 I 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.”
11 But 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.
12 Lord 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.
13 Sing to the Lord !
Praise the Lord !
He saves the lives of the poor!
He saves them from the wicked!
14 Curse the day that I was born!
Don’t bless the day my mother had me.
15 Curse 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.
16 Let that man be like the cities the Lord destroyed. [ a ]
He had no pity on them.
Let him hear shouts of war in the morning;
let him hear battle cries at noontime,
17 because 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.
18 Why did I have to come out of her body?
All I have seen is trouble and sorrow,
and my life will end in shame.
20 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord , heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord .
3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib.
4 For thus saith 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 thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
5 Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6 And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.
7 O Lord , thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
10 For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.
11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.
12 But, O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.
13 Sing unto the Lord , praise ye the Lord : for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.
15 Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.
16 And let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;
17 Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me.
18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of ( A ) Immer, who was ( B ) chief overseer in the house of the Lord , heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet ( C ) beaten and put him in the ( D ) stocks that were at the upper ( E ) Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord . 3 Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has ( F ) called you, but rather [ a ] ( G ) Magor-missabib. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a ( H ) horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while ( I ) your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will ( J ) hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as ( K ) exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword. 5 I will also give all the ( L ) wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will ( M ) hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, ( N ) Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your ( O ) friends to whom you have ( P ) falsely prophesied.’”
7 Lord , You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
You have ( Q ) overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a ( R ) laughingstock all day long;
Everyone ( S ) mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I ( T ) proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the ( U ) word of the Lord has [ b ] resulted
In taunting and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not ( V ) remember Him
Nor speak anymore in His name,”
Then in ( W ) my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am tired of holding it in,
And ( X ) I cannot endure it .
10 For ( Y ) I have heard the whispering of many,
“ ( Z ) Terror on every side!
( AA ) Denounce him ; let’s denounce him!”
[ c ] All my ( AB ) trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may ( AC ) prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the ( AD ) Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
Therefore my ( AE ) persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be put to great shame because they have [ d ] failed,
An ( AF ) everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, Lord of armies, who ( AG ) tests the righteous,
Who sees the [ e ] mind and the heart;
Let me ( AH ) see Your vengeance on them,
For ( AI ) to You I have disclosed my cause.
13 ( AJ ) Sing to the Lord , praise the Lord !
For He has ( AK ) saved the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the ( AL ) day when I was born;
May the day when my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
“A [ f ] ( AM ) boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.
16 But may that man be like the cities
Which the Lord ( AN ) overthrew without [ g ] relenting,
And may he hear an ( AO ) outcry in the morning
And [ h ] an alarm for war at noon;
17 Because he did not ( AP ) kill me [ i ] before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb forever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
To ( AQ ) look at trouble and sorrow,
So that my ( AR ) days have been spent in ( AS ) shame?
20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, ( A ) the official ( B ) in charge of the temple of the Lord , heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten ( C ) and put in the stocks ( D ) at the Upper Gate of Benjamin ( E ) at the Lord ’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord ’s name ( F ) for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. ( G ) 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes ( H ) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give ( I ) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry ( J ) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will deliver all the wealth ( K ) of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away ( L ) as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied ( M ) lies.’”
7 You deceived [ a ] ( N ) me, Lord , and I was deceived [ b ] ;
you overpowered ( O ) me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed ( P ) all day long;
everyone mocks ( Q ) me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction. ( R )
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach ( S ) all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,” ( T )
his word is in my heart like a fire, ( U )
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in; ( V )
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror ( W ) on every side!
Denounce ( X ) him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends ( Y )
are waiting for me to slip, ( Z ) saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail ( AA ) over him
and take our revenge ( AB ) on him.”
11 But the Lord ( AC ) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors ( AD ) will stumble and not prevail. ( AE )
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; ( AF )
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind, ( AG )
let me see your vengeance ( AH ) on them,
for to you I have committed ( AI ) my cause.
13 Sing ( AJ ) to the Lord !
Give praise to the Lord !
He rescues ( AK ) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked. ( AL )
14 Cursed be the day I was born! ( AM )
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns ( AN )
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing ( AO ) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb, ( AP )
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb ( AQ )
to see trouble ( AR ) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame? ( AS )
