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?
Jeremiah's Conflict with Pashhur the Priest
1 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was the chief officer of the Temple, heard me proclaim these things, 2 he had me beaten and placed in chains near the upper Benjamin Gate in the Temple. 3 The next morning, after Pashhur had released me from the chains, I said to him, “The Lord did not name you Pashhur. The name he has given you is ‘Terror Everywhere.’ 4 The Lord himself has said, ‘I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to your friends, and you will see them all killed by the swords of their enemies. I am going to put all the people of Judah under the power of the king of Babylonia; he will take some away as prisoners to his country and put others to death. 5 I will also let their enemies plunder all the wealth of this city and seize all its possessions and property, even the treasures of the kings of Judah, and carry everything off to Babylonia. 6 As for you, Pashhur, you and all your family will also be captured and taken off to Babylonia. There you will die and be buried, along with all your friends to whom you have told so many lies.’”
Jeremiah Complains to the Lord
7 Lord, you have deceived me,
and I was deceived.
You are stronger than I am,
and you have overpowered me.
Everyone makes fun of me;
they laugh at me all day long.
8 Whenever I speak, I have to cry out
and shout, “Violence! Destruction!”
Lord, I am ridiculed and scorned all the time
because I proclaim your message.
9 But when I say, “I will forget the Lord
and no longer speak in his name,”
then your message is like a fire
burning deep within me.
I try my best to hold it in,
but can no longer keep it back.
10 I hear everybody whispering,
“Terror is everywhere!
So let's report him to the authorities!”
Even my close friends wait for my downfall.
“Perhaps he can be tricked,” they say;
“then we can catch him and get revenge.”
11 But you, Lord, are on my side, strong and mighty,
and those who persecute me will fail.
They will be disgraced forever,
because they cannot succeed.
Their disgrace will never be forgotten.
12 But, Almighty Lord, you test people justly;
you know what is in their hearts and minds.
So let me see you take revenge on my enemies,
for I have placed my cause in your hands.
13 Sing to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
He rescues the oppressed from the power of evil people.
14 Curse the day I was born!
Forget the day my mother gave me birth!
15 Curse the one who made my father glad
by bringing him the news,
“It's a boy! You have a son!”
16 May he be like those cities
that the Lord destroyed without mercy.
May he hear cries of pain in the morning
and the battle alarm at noon,
17 for not killing me before I was born.
Then my mother's womb would have been my grave.
18 Why was I born?
Was it only to have trouble and sorrow,
to end my life in disgrace?