1When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,2he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple.3The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, ‘The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.4For this is what the Lord says: “I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword.5I will deliver all the wealth 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 as plunder and carry it off to Babylon.6And 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 lies.” ’
Jeremiah’s complaint
7You deceived[1] me, Lord, and I was deceived[2]; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.8Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.9But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.10I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!’ All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, ‘Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.’11But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonour will never be forgotten.12Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.13Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.14Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!15Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, ‘A child is born to you – a son!’16May that man be like the towns the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon.17For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged for ever.18Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?
Jeremiah 20
English Standard Version
Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur
1Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. (1Ch 9:12; 1Ch 24:14; Ezr 2:37; Ezr 2:38; Jer 21:1; Jer 29:26; Jer 38:1)2Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. (Jer 20:1; Jer 29:26; Jer 37:13; Ac 16:24)3The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. (Jer 20:1)4For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. (Jer 6:25)5Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. (2Ki 20:17; 2Ki 24:12; 2Ki 25:13; Job 28:10; Eze 22:25)6And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.” (1Ch 9:12; Ezr 2:38; Jer 14:14; Jer 21:1; Jer 38:1)7O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. (Ps 119:51; La 3:14; Eze 14:9; 2Pe 1:21)8For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. (Ps 44:13; Ps 79:4; Jer 6:7; Jer 6:10)9If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. (Job 32:18; Ps 39:3; Jer 6:11)10For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.” (Ps 31:13; Ps 35:15; Ps 41:9; Ps 55:13; Ps 56:6; Jer 1:19; Jer 5:22; Jer 6:25; Jer 9:4; Jer 36:16; Jer 36:20; Jer 38:22)11But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. (Jer 1:8; Jer 17:18; Jer 23:40)12O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind,[1] let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. (Jer 11:20)13Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. (Ps 35:9; Ps 109:30)14Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! (Job 3:3; Jer 15:10)15Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, “A son is born to you,” making him very glad. (Joh 16:21)16Let that man be like the cities that the Lord overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, (Ge 19:25; Isa 13:19; Jer 18:22)17because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great. (Job 3:10)18Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame? (Job 3:20; La 3:1)