Jeremiah 20

1 And when Pashhur son of Immer, the priest, who also was deputy-overseer in the house of Yahweh, heard that Jeremiah had prophesied these things,

And Pashhur, the son of Immer, the priest who had been appointed leader in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words.

2 then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, —and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Yahweh.

And Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and he sent him to the stocks, which were at the upper gate of Benjamin at the house of the Lord.

3 And it came to pass on the morrow, when Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks, —that Jeremiah said unto him—Not Pashhur, hath Yahweh called thy name, But Magor-missaviv["Terror-round-about"].

And when it had become light on the next day, Pashhur led Jeremiah from the stocks. And Jeremiah said to him: “The Lord has not called your name: ‘Pashhur,’ but instead: ‘Fear all around.’”

4 For, Thus, saith Yahweh—Behold me! making thee a ["magor" i. e. a] terror to thyself and to all who love thee, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, thine own eyes also, beholding, And all Judah, will I deliver into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon and smite them with the sword.

For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will give you over to fear, you and all your friends, and they will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. And I will give all of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. And he will lead them away to Babylon, and he will strike them with the sword.

5 And I will deliver up—All the wealth of this city, and All her labour, and All her precious things, —And all the treasures of the kings of Judah, will I deliver up into the hands of their enemies, and they will make of them a prey, and take them, and carry them into Babylon.

And I will give away the entire substance of this city, and all its labor, and every precious thing. And I will give all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hands of their enemies. And they will plunder them, and take them away, and lead them into Babylon.

6 And, thou, Pashhur and all who are dwelling in thy house, shall go into captivity, —Yea into Babylon, shalt thou enter And there, shalt thou die And there, shalt thou be buried Thou and all who love thee, to whom thou hast prophesied falsely.

But you, Pashhur, and all the inhabitants of your house, will go into captivity. And you will go to Babylon. And there you shall die. And there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied a lie.”

7 Thou didst persuade me, O Yahweh and I was persuaded, Thou didst lay firm hold on me and didst prevail, —I am become a mockery, all the day, Every one, is laughing at me.

“You have led me away, O Lord, and I have been led away. You have been stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a derision all day long; everyone mocks me.

8 For, as often as I speak, I make outcry, Violence and wasting, I proclaim, —Yea the word of Yahweh hath become to me a reproach and derision all the day

For I speak now as I have long spoken: crying out against iniquity and proclaiming devastation. And the word of the Lord has been made into a reproach against me and a derision, all day long.

9 Therefore I say—I will not mention him Neither will I speak any more in his name, But then it becometh in my heart as a fire that burneth, Shut up in my bones, —And I am weary of restraint and cannot refrain.

Then I said: I will not call him to mind, nor will I speak any longer in his name. And my heart became like a raging fire, enclosed within my bones. And I became weary of continuing to bear it.

10 Because I have heard the whispering of many—"A terror round about!" Tell ye [say they], that we may tell of him, All the men I am wont to salute do watch for my halting, —Peradventure he will be persuaded, and we shall prevail over him, and take our vengeance upon him.

For I heard the insults of many, and terror all around: ‘Persecute him!’ and, ‘Let us persecute him!’ from all the men who had been at peace with me and who had kept watch by my side. ‘If only there were some way that he might be deceived, and we might prevail against him and obtain vengeance from him!’

11 But, Yahweh, is with me, as a mighty one striking terror, For this cause, shall my persecutors stumble and not prevail, —They have turned very pale, For they have not prospered, Confusion age-abiding, it shall not be forgotten!

But the Lord is with me, like a strong warrior. For this reason, those who persecute me will fall, and they will be ineffective. They will be greatly confounded. For they have not understood the everlasting disgrace that will never be wiped away.

12 But O Yahweh of hosts—Testing the righteous Beholding the affections and the heart, —Let me see thine avenging upon them, For unto thee, have I laid bare my cause.

And you, O Lord of hosts, the Tester of the just, who sees the temperament and the heart: I beg you to let me see your vengeance upon them. For I have revealed my case to you.

13 Sing ye to Yahweh! Praise ye Yahweh! For he hath delivered the soul of the needy, out of the hand of evildoers.

Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he has freed the soul of the poor from the hand of the wicked.

14 Accursed, be the day on which I was born, —The day when my mother bare me, let it not be blessed!

Cursed is the day on which I was born! The day on which my mother gave birth to me: let it not be blessed!

15 Accursed, be the man who carried tidings to my father saying, There is born to thee a man-child!

Cursed is the man who announced it to my father, saying, ‘A male child has been born to you,’ causing him to rejoice with gladness.

16 Making him very glad: Yea let that man be—as the cities which Yahweh overthrew and repented not, —And let him hear An outcry in the morning, and A war-shout at broad noon!

Let that man be like the cities that the Lord has overthrown without regret. Let him hear an outcry in the morning, and wailing at the time of midday!

17 Because I was not slain from the womb, —Nor did my mother become my grave, Nor was her womb great for ever!

So let him be, who did not put me to death from the womb, so that my mother would have been my sepulcher, and her womb would have been my eternal resting place!

18 Wherefore was it—That from the womb, I came forth, to see labour and pain; and That in shame should my days be consumed!

Why did I depart from the womb, so that I would see hardship and sorrow, and so that my days would be consumed by trouble?”