Jeremiah 20

Great^{(i) 1} When Phashur the preste, the sonne of Emer, chefe in the house of the Lorde, herde Ieremy preache so stedfastly: ² he smote Ieremy & put him in the stockes, that are by the hye gate of Ben Iamin, in the house of the Lorde. ³ The nexte daye folowynge Phashur brought Ieremy out of the stockes agayne. Then sayd Ieremy vnto him. The Lorde shall call the nomore Phashur (that is excellent and increasynge) but Magor (that is fearfull & afrayed) euery where. ⁴ For thus sayeth the Lorde: beholde, I wyll make the afrayed, euen thy selfe, & all that fauoure the: which shall perish with the swearde of their enemies, euen before thy face. And I wyll geue whole Iuda vnder the power of the kynge of Babylon, which shal carye some vnto Babylon presoners, & slaye some with the swearde. ⁵ Moreouer, al the substaunce of this lande, all their precious and gorgeous worckes, all costlynes, and all the treasure of the kynges of Iuda: wyl I geue into the handes of their enemies, which shall spoyle them, and carie them vnto Babilon. ⁶ But as for the (O Phashur) thou shalt be caried vnto Babilon with all thine housholde, & to Babylon shalt thou come, where thou shalt dye, and be buried: thou and al thy fauourers, to whom thou hast preached lyes. ⁷ O Lorde, Yf I am disceaued, then hast thou disceaued me: thou hast dealt strongly, and hast preuayled, and makest me stronge agayne. All the daye longe am I despised, & laughed to scorne of euery man: ⁸ because I haue now preached longe agaynst malycious Tyranny, and shewed them of destruccion. For the whyche cause they cast the word of the Lorde in my teeth, and take me euer to the worst. ⁹ Wherfore, I thought from hence forth, not to speake of him, ner to preache eny more in his name. But the worde of the Lorde was a very burnynge fyre in my hert and in my bones, whiche when I wolde haue stopped, I myght not. ¹⁰ For why I herde so many derisions and blasphemies on euery syde of me: complayne vpon him, saye they, and we will tell his tale, yee euen of myne awne companions, and soch as were conuersant with me: went about to murther me, saying vpon him, we shall one waye or other begyle him and preuayle agaynst him, and be auenged of hym. ¹¹ But the Lord stode by me, lyke a myghtie giaunt: therfore my persecutours fell, & coulde do nothing. They shalbe sore confounded, for they haue done vnwysely, they shal haue an euerlastinge shame. ¹² And now, O Lorde of Hostes, thou ryghteous searcher (which knowest the reynes and the very hertes:) let me se them punished, for vnto the I commytte my cause. ¹³ Synge vnto the Lorde, and prayse him, for he hath deliuered the soule of the oppressed, from the hande of the violent. ¹⁴ Cursed be the daye, wherin I was borne, vnhappie be the daye, wherin my mother brought me forth. ¹⁵ Cursed be the man, that brought my father the tydinges to make him glad, saying: thou hast gotten a sonne. ¹⁶ Let it happen vnto that man, as to the cyties which the Lord turned vp syde downe. Lett him heare cryenge in the mornynge, and at none daye lamentable howlynge. ¹⁷ Why slewest thou not me, as sone as I cam out of my mothers wombe? O that my mother had bene my graue her self, that the byrth myghte not haue come out, but remayned styll in her. ¹⁸ Wherfore cam I forth of my mothers wombe? To haue experience of laboure and sorowe? and to lead my lyfe with shame?