CHAPTER 20
1 And Pashur, the son of Immer, the priest, that was ordained prince in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremy prophesying these words.
2 And Pashur smote Jeremy, the prophet, and sent him into the stocks, that were in the higher gate of Benjamin, in the house of the Lord.
3 And when it was clear in the morrow, Pashur led Jeremy out of the stocks. And Jeremy said to him, The Lord called not Pashur thy name, but Dread on each side.
4 For the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall give thee and all thy friends into dread, and they shall fall down by the sword of their enemies; and thine eyes shall see; and I shall give all Judah in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall lead them over into Babylon, and he shall smite them with sword.
5 And I shall give all the chattel [or substance] of this city, and all the travail thereof, and all the price; and I shall give all the treasures of the kings of Judah in the hand of their enemies; and they shall ravish them, and shall take, and lead [them] forth into Babylon.
6 Forsooth thou, Pashur, and all the dwellers of thine house, shall go into captivity; and thou shalt come into Babylon, and thou shalt die there; and thou shalt be buried there, thou and all thy friends, to which thou prophesiedest leasing.
7 Lord, thou deceivedest me, and I am deceived; thou were stronger than I, and thou haddest the mastery; I am made into scorn all day. All men bemock me,
8 for now a while ago I spake, crying [out] wickedness, and I cried destroying. And the word of the Lord is made to me into shame, and into scorn all day.
9 And I said, I shall not have mind on him, and I shall no more speak in his name. And the word of the Lord was made, as fire swelling in mine heart, and enclosed in my bones; and I failed, not suffering to bear.
10 For I heard despisings of many men, and dread in compass, Pursue ye, and pursue we him, of all men that were peaceable to me, and keeping my side; if in any manner he be deceived, and we have the mastery against him, and get vengeance of him.
11 Forsooth the Lord as a strong warrior is with me, therefore they that pursue me shall fall, and they shall be feeble; and they shall be shamed greatly, for they understood not everlasting shame, that shall never be done away.
12 And thou, Lord of hosts, the prover of a just [or rightwise] man, which seest the reins and [the] heart, I beseech, see I thy vengeance of them; for I have showed my cause to thee.
13 Sing ye to the Lord, praise ye the Lord, for he delivered the soul of a poor man from the hand of evil men.
14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born, the day wherein my mother childed me be not blessed.
15 Cursed be the man, that told to my father, and said, A knave child is born to thee, and made him glad as with joy.
16 That man be as the cities be, which the Lord destroyed, and it repented not him; [Be that man as be the cities, that the Lord turned upside-down, and it repented him not; hear he cry early, and yelling in midday time,]
17 he that killed not me from the womb, hear cry early, and yelling in the time of midday; that my mother were [made] a sepulchre to me, and her womb were an everlasting conceiving. [that me he slew not from the privy womb; that made were to me my mother a sepulchre, and her privy womb conceiving everlasting.]
18 Why went I out of the womb, that I should see travail and sorrow, and that my days shall be wasted in shame?