Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry

7 Lord, you coerced me into being a prophet,

and I allowed you to do it.

You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me.

Now I have become a constant laughingstock.

Everyone ridicules me.

8 For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out,

“Violence and destruction are coming!”

This message from the Lord has made me

an object of continual insults and derision.

9 Sometimes I think, “I will make no mention of his message.

I will not speak as his messenger any more.”

But then his message becomes like a fire

locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul.

I grow weary of trying to hold it in;

I cannot contain it.

10 I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me.

Those who would cause me terror are everywhere!

They are saying, “Come on, let’s publicly denounce him!”

All my so-called friends are just watching for

something that would lead to my downfall.

They say, “Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up,

so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him.

11 But the Lord is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior.

Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me.

They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed.

Their disgrace will never be forgotten.

12 O Lord who rules over all, you test and prove the righteous.

You see into people’s hearts and minds.

Pay them back for what they have done

because I trust you to vindicate my cause.

13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!

For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers.

14 Cursed be the day I was born!

May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me.

15 Cursed be the man

who made my father very glad

when he brought him the news

that a baby boy had been born to him!

16 May that man be like the cities

that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy.

May he hear a cry of distress in the morning

and a battle cry at noon.

17 For he did not kill me before I came from the womb,

making my pregnant mother’s womb my grave forever.

18 Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb?

All I experience is trouble and grief,

and I spend my days in shame.

21 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask, 2 “Please ask the Lord to come and help us, because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will perform one of his miracles as in times past and make him stop attacking us and leave.” 3 Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah 4 that the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The forces at your disposal are now outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the city. 5 In anger, in fury, and in wrath I myself will fight against you with my mighty power and great strength! 6 I will kill everything living in Jerusalem, people and animals alike! They will die from terrible diseases. 7 Then I, the Lord, promise that I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and any of the people who survive the war, starvation, and disease. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will slaughter them with the sword. He will not show them any mercy, compassion, or pity.’

8 “But tell the people of Jerusalem that the Lord says, ‘I will give you a choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will result in death. 9 Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives. 10 For I, the Lord, say that I am determined not to deliver this city but to bring disaster on it. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will destroy it with fire.’ ”