Jeremiah 20:1-18
Pashhur and the Burning Word
1When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer and the chief official in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
2he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
3The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.
4For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to Babylon and put them to the sword.
5I will give away all the wealth of this city—all its products and valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah—to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon.
6And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and there you will die and be buried—you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied these lies.’”
7You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
8For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long.
9If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.
10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”
11But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.
12O LORD of Hosts, who examines the righteous, who sees the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
13Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.
14Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.
15Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.
16May that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without compassion. May he hear an outcry in the morning and a battle cry at noon,
17because he did not kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb forever enlarged.
18Why did I come out of the womb to see only trouble and sorrow, and to end my days in shame?
Berean Standard Bible
Pashhur the priest hears Jeremiah prophesying and has him beaten and placed in the stocks. The next day Jeremiah says the LORD has renamed him Magor-missabib, meaning terror on every side. Pashhur and everyone who trusts his false assurances will go into captivity.
Jeremiah complains that the LORD has deceived him, though the prophet knows he has been overpowered by the word. Whenever he speaks, people mock him and call for denunciation. When he tries to keep silent, the message becomes like a fire in his bones.
The LORD is with Jeremiah like a mighty warrior, so his persecutors will stumble. The prophet sings praise because God rescues the life of the needy. His faith is not a smooth emotional line; courage and fear, praise and complaint all appear in the same prayer.
Jeremiah then curses the day of his birth and asks why he was born to see trouble and sorrow. The chapter refuses to tidy a servant's anguish into a simple lesson. Jeremiah remains called, but he is also exhausted by the cost of speaking truth.
Questions
1 What did Pashhur do to Jeremiah?
AnswerHe had Jeremiah beaten and put in the stocks after hearing his prophecy.
2 What name did Jeremiah give Pashhur?
AnswerHe called him Magor-missabib, meaning terror on every side.
3 Why could Jeremiah not remain silent?
AnswerGod's word became like a fire in his bones, making silence impossible even when speaking brought mockery.
4 What does Jeremiah do at the end?
AnswerHe laments the day of his birth and speaks openly about the sorrow his calling has brought.
What This Means for Us
Jeremiah's lament is not evidence that his faith was fake. It is the prayer of someone who continues obeying while admitting that obedience hurts.
Make room for honest grief in your household. Do not force a suffering person to sound grateful before you listen; stay near, pray, and let truth be spoken without abandoning hope.
Prayer
God who stands with the persecuted, meet us when faithfulness feels unbearable. Keep your word alive in us, receive our lament, and rescue those who are mocked for speaking truth. Amen.