1 When Pashur, the sonne of Immer, the Priest, which was appointed gouernour in the house of the Lord, heard that Ieremiah prophecied these things, 2 Then Pashur smote Ieremiah the Prophet, and put him in the stockes that were in the hie gate of Beniamin which was by the House of the Lord. 3 And on the morning, Pashur brought Ieremiah out of the stockes. Then said Ieremiah vnto him, The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib. 4 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee to be a terrour to thy self, and to al thy friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall beholde it, and I will giue all Iudah into the hande of the King of Babel, and he shall cary them captiue into Babel, and shall slay them with the sworde. 5 Moreouer, I will deliuer all the substance of this citie, and all the labours thereof, and al the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the Kings of Iudah will I giue into the hande of their enemies, which shall spoyle them, and take them away and cary them to Babel. 6 And thou Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house, shall go into captiuitie, and thou shalt come to Babel, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buryed there, thou and all thy friendes, to whome thou hast prophecied lyes. 7 O Lord, thou hast deceiued me, and I am deceiued: thou art stronger then I, and hast preuailed: I am in derision daily: euery one mocketh me. 8 For since I spake, I cryed out of wrong, and proclaimed desolation: therefore the word of the Lord was made a reproche vnto me, and in derision daily. 9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speake any more in his Name. But his worde was in mine heart as a burning fire shut vp in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. 10 For I had heard the railing of many, and feare on euery side. Declare, said they, and wee wil declare it: all my familiars watched for mine halting, saying, It may be that he is deceiued: so we shall preuaile against him, and we shall execute our vengeance vpon him. 11 But the Lord is with me like a mightie gyant: therefore my persecuters shall be ouerthrowen, and shall not preuaile, and shalbe greatly confounded: for they haue done vnwisely, and their euerlasting shame shall neuer be forgotten. 12 But, O Lord of hostes, that tryest the righteous, and seest the reines and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for vnto thee haue I opened my cause. 13 Sing vnto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath deliuered the soule of the poore from the hande of the wicked. 14 Cursed be the day wherein I was borne: and let not the day wherein my mother bare me, be blessed. 15 Cursed be the man, that shewed my father, saying, A man child is borne vnto thee, and comforted him. 16 And let that man be as the cities, which the Lord hath ouerturned and repented not: and let him heare the cry in the morning, and the showting at noone tide, 17 Because he hath not slaine me, euen from the wombe, or that my mother might haue bene my graue, or her wobe a perpetual conception. 18 How is it, that I came forth of the wombe, to see labour and sorowe, that my dayes shoulde be consumed with shame?
Pashhur Arrests Jeremiah
1 Pashhur son of Immer was a priest and the chief of temple security. He heard what I had said, 2 and so he hit me. Then he had me arrested and put in chains at the Benjamin Gate in the Lord's temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur let me go free, I told him that the Lord had said:
No longer will I call you Pashhur. Instead, I will call you Afraid-of-Everything. 4 You will be afraid, and you will bring fear to your friends as well. You will see enemies kill them in battle. Then I will let the king of Babylonia take everyone in Judah prisoner, killing some and dragging the rest away to Babylonia. 5 He will clean out the royal treasury and take everything else of value from Jerusalem.
6 Pashhur, you are guilty of telling lies and claiming they were messages from me. That's why I will let the Babylonians take you, your family, and your friends as prisoners to Babylonia, where you will all die and be buried.
Jeremiah Complains to the Lord
7 You tricked me, Lord,
and I was really fooled.
You are stronger than I am,
and you have defeated me.
People never stop sneering
and insulting me.
8 You have let me announce
only injustice and death.
Your message has brought me
nothing but insults
and trouble.
9 Sometimes I tell myself
not to think about you, Lord,
or even mention your name.
But your message burns
in my heart and bones,
and I cannot keep silent.
10 I heard the crowds whisper,
“Everyone is afraid.
Now's our chance
to accuse Jeremiah!”
All of my so-called friends
are just waiting
for me to make a mistake.
They say, “Maybe Jeremiah
can be tricked.
Then we can overpower him
and get even at last.”
11 But you, Lord,
are a mighty soldier,
standing at my side.
Those troublemakers
will fall down and fail—
terribly embarrassed,
forever ashamed.
12 Lord All-Powerful,
you test those who do right,
and you know every heart
and mind.
I have told you my complaints,
so let me watch you
take revenge on my enemies.
13 I sing praises to you, Lord.
You rescue the oppressed
from the wicked.
14 Put a curse on the day I was born!
Don't bless that day.
15 Put a curse on the man
who told my father, “Good news!
You have a son.”
16 May that man be like the towns
you destroyed without pity.
Let him hear shouts of alarm
in the morning
and battle cries at noon.
17 He deserves to die
for not killing me
before I was born.
Then my mother's body
would have been my grave.
18 Why did I have to be born?
Was it just to suffer
and die in shame?