וַיִּשְׁמַע פַּשְׁחוּר בֶּן־אִמֵּר הַכֹּהֵן וְהוּא־פָקִיד נָגִיד בְּבֵית יְהוָה אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ נִבָּא אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃   20:1

Jere. 20:1   Now Pashhur, son of Immer, the priest -- and he was the chief officer in the house of the Lord -- heard Jeremiah prophesy these words.

וַיַּכֶּה פַשְׁחוּר אֵת יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא וַיִּתֵּן אֹתֹו עַל־הַמַּהְפֶּכֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן הָעֶלְיֹון אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית   20:2 יְהוָה׃

Jere. 20:2   And Pashhur smote Jeremiah, the prophet, and put him upon the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of the Lord.

In those days there were stocks at the entrance to the Temple?  Wow!  We should also make note of the fact that it was not only the men of Anathoth who persecuted Jeremiah.  In fact, we will learn later that Zedekiah, the king, as well as his princes, also restrained him.                                                             [Return to Jere. 36:5]

וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיֹּצֵא פַשְׁחוּר אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ מִן־הַמַּהְפָּכֶת וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יִרְמְיָהוּ לֹא פַשְׁחוּר קָרָא יְהוָה   20:3 שְׁמֶךָ כִּי אִם־מָגֹור מִסָּבִיב׃

Jere. 20:3   And it was by the day after that Pashhur brought out Jeremiah from the stocks, and Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but instead Magor-missabib.

The name Magor-missabib can mean terror on every side, meant to signify what was to result when the Babylonians invaded.  The name Pashhur can mean Freedom.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי נֹתֶנְךָ לְמָגֹור לְךָ וּלְכָל־אֹהֲבֶיךָ וְנָפְלוּ בְּחֶרֶב אֹיְבֵיהֶם וְעֵינֶיךָ רֹאֹות   20:4                וְאֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה אֶתֵּן בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְהִגְלָם בָּבֶלָה וְהִכָּם בֶּחָרֶב׃

Jere. 20:4   For thus says the Lord:  “Behold, I set you for a terror to yourself and to all your loved ones, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies with your eyes seeing, and all of Judah shall I give into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall exile them to Babylon and slay them by the sword.”

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־כָּל־חֹסֶן הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְאֶת־כָּל־יְגִיעָהּ וְאֶת־כָּל־יְקָרָהּ וְאֵת כָּל־אֹוצְרֹות מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה אֶתֵּן   20:5 בְּיַד אֹיְבֵיהֶם וּבְזָזוּם וּלְקָחוּם וֶהֱבִיאוּם בָּבֶלָה׃

Jere. 20:5   “And I will give over all the wealth of this city, with all its gain and all its splendor; and all the treasures of the kings of Judah I shall give into the hand of their enemies, and they shall plunder them, and take them and bring them to Babylon.”

וְאַתָּה פַשְׁחוּר וְכֹל יֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ תֵּלְכוּ בַּשֶּׁבִי וּבָבֶל תָּבֹוא וְשָׁם תָּמוּת וְשָׁם תִּקָּבֵר אַתָּה וְכָל־אֹהֲבֶיךָ   20:6 אֲשֶׁר־נִבֵּאתָ לָהֶם בַּשָּׁקֶר׃

Jere. 20:6   “And you, Pashhur, and all the inhabitants of your house, shall go into captivity, and you shall come to Babylon, and you shall die there, and you shall be buried there, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied falsely.”

פִּתִּיתַנִי יְהוָה וָאֶפָּת חֲזַקְתַּנִי וַתּוּכָל הָיִיתִי לִשְׂחֹוק כָּל־הַיֹּום כֻּלֹּה לֹעֵג לִי׃   20:7

Jere. 20:7   You seduced me, O Lord,

                              and I was persuaded;

                      You were firm and You prevailed.

                              I am a laughing stock all the time;

                      Everyone ridicules me.

כִּי־מִדֵּי אֲדַבֵּר אֶזְעָק חָמָס וָשֹׁד אֶקְרָא כִּי־הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה לִי לְחֶרְפָּה וּלְקֶלֶס כָּל־הַיֹּום׃   20:8

Jere. 20:8   For whenever I might speak,

                               I must cry out.

                      “Violence and destruction,” I must cry.

                              The word of the Lord is to me

                      only for reproach and ridicule all the time.

וְאָמַרְתִּי לֹא־אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ וְלֹא־אֲדַבֵּר עֹוד בִּשְׁמֹו וְהָיָה בְלִבִּי כְּאֵשׁ בֹּעֶרֶת עָצֻר בְּעַצְמֹתָי וְנִלְאֵיתִי כַּלְכֵל   20:9 וְלֹא אוּכָל׃

Jere. 20:9   So I might say,

                               I will not think of Him

                      or speak any more in His name.

                              Then there is a fire burning in my heart,

                      shut up in my bones,

                               and I exhaust myself enduring it

                      but I am not able.

כִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי דִּבַּת רַבִּים מָגֹור מִסָּבִיב הַגִּידוּ וְנַגִּידֶנּוּ כֹּל אֱנֹושׁ שְׁלֹומִי שֹׁמְרֵי צַלְעִי אוּלַי יְפֻתֶּה   20:10 וְנוּכְלָה לֹו וְנִקְחָה נִקְמָתֵנוּ מִמֶּנּוּ׃

Jere. 20:10   But I hear the whispering of many;

                               fear is everywhere.

                        “Proclaim, and we will inform him!”

                               All my men friends are watchers

                        of my stumbling:

                               “Maybe he can be deceived

                        and we can overcome him;

                               then we can take out

                        our vengeance against him.”

וַיהוָה אֹותִי כְּגִבֹּור עָרִיץ עַל־כֵּן רֹדְפַי יִכָּשְׁלוּ וְלֹא יֻכָלוּ בֹּשׁוּ מְאֹד כִּי־לֹא הִשְׂכִּילוּ כְּלִמַּת עֹולָם לֹא   20:11 תִשָּׁכֵחַ׃

Jere. 20:11   But the Lord is with me as a mighty Warrior.

                               Because of this my persecutors

                        shall stumble and not prevail;

                                they are exceedingly disconcerted

                        because they have not succeeded,

                               a perpetual disgrace not to be forgotten.

וַיהוָה צְבָאֹות בֹּחֵן צַדִּיק רֹאֶה כְלָיֹות וָלֵב אֶרְאֶה נִקְמָתְךָ מֵהֶם כִּי אֵלֶיךָ גִּלִּיתִי אֶת־רִיבִי׃   20:12

Jere. 20:12   Now, O Lord of hosts,

                               Tester of the righteous,

                        Perceiver of the reins and heart,

                               may I see Your vengeance against them,

                        for I have revealed my strife to You.

שִׁירוּ לַיהוָה הַלְלוּ אֶת־יְהוָה כִּי הִצִּיל אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ אֶבְיֹון מִיַּד מְרֵעִים׃   20:13

Jere. 20:13   Sing to the Lord!

                                Praise the Lord!

                        For He rescues the soul of the needy

                                from the hand of evil doers.

אָרוּר הַיֹּום אֲשֶׁר יֻלַּדְתִּי בֹּו יֹום אֲשֶׁר־יְלָדַתְנִי אִמִּי אַל־יְהִי בָרוּךְ׃   20:14

Jere. 20:14   Cursed is the day on which I was born!

                               The day that my mother bore me,

                         let it not be blessed!

אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בִּשַּׂר אֶת־אָבִי לֵאמֹר יֻלַּד־לְךָ בֵּן זָכָר שַׂמֵּחַ שִׂמֳּחָהוּ׃   20:15

Jere. 20:15   Cursed is the man who gladdened

                                my father with good news, saying,

                        “A male child is born to you,”

                                making him very joyful!

וְהָיָה הָאִישׁ הַהוּא כֶּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר־הָפַךְ יְהוָה וְלֹא נִחָם וְשָׁמַע זְעָקָה בַּבֹּקֶר וּתְרוּעָה בְּעֵת צָהֳרָיִם׃   20:16

Jere. 20:16   And let that man be like the cities

                                that the Lord overthrows without regret,

                        and let him hear an outcry in the morning

                                and an alarm at the time of midday,

אֲשֶׁר לֹא־מֹותְתַנִי מֵרָחֶם וַתְּהִי־לִי אִמִּי קִבְרִי וְרַחְמָהֿ הֲרַת עֹולָם׃   20:17

Jere. 20:17   as he did not slay me from the womb,

                                so my mother would have been

                        for me my grave,

                                with her womb ever pregnant.

לָמָּה זֶּה מֵרֶחֶם יָצָאתִי לִרְאֹות עָמָל וְיָגֹון וַיִּכְלוּ בְּבֹשֶׁת יָמָי׃   20:18

Jere. 20:18   Why is it I came forth out of the womb

                                to see trouble and grief,

                        and my days are consumed with shame?

What an anguished cry of regret and misery -- and self-pity!

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