Yēlìmǐshū 20

1 Jìsī Yīnmaì de érzi Bāshīhùĕrzuò Yēhéhuá diàn de zǒng guǎn , tīngjian Yēlìmǐ yùyán zhèxie shì ,

2 Tā jiù dá xiānzhī Yēlìmǐ , yòng Yēhéhuá diàn lǐ Biànyǎmǐn gāo mén neì de jiā , jiāng tā jiā zaì nàli .

3 Cì rì , Bāshīhùĕrjiāng Yēlìmǐ kāi jiā shìfàng . yúshì Yēlìmǐ duì tā shuō , Yēhéhuá bú shì jiào nǐde míng wèi Bāshīhùĕr, nǎi shì jiào nǐ mǎ gē Ěr Mǐsā bì ( jiù shì sìmiàn jīngxià de yìsi ) .

4 Yīn Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , wǒ bì shǐ nǐ zì jué jīngxià , nǐ yĕ bì shǐ zhòng péngyou jīngxià . tāmen bì dǎo zaì chóudí de dāo xià , nǐ yĕ bì qīnyǎn kànjian . wǒ bìjiāng Yóudà rén quán jiāo zaì Bābǐlún wáng de shǒu zhōng , tā yào jiāng tāmen lǔ dào Bābǐlún qù , yĕ yào yòng dāo jiāng tāmen shā lù .

5 Bìngqiĕ wǒ yào jiāng zhè chéng zhōng de yīqiè huò cái hé laólù dé lái de , bìng yīqiè zhēn bǎo , yǐjí Yóudà jūnwáng suǒyǒude bǎowù , dōu jiāo zaì tāmen chóudí de shǒu zhōng . chóudí yào dāng zuò lüè wù daì dào Bābǐlún qù .

6 Nǐ zhè Bāshīhùĕrhé yīqiè zhù zaì nǐ jiā zhōng de rén dōu bì beìlǔ qù . nǐ hé nǐde zhòng péngyou , jiù shì nǐ xiàng tāmen shuō jiǎ yùyán de , dōu bì dào Bābǐlún qù , yào sǐ zaì nàli , zàng zaì nàli .

7 Yēhéhuá a , nǐ céng quàndǎo wǒ , wǒ yĕ tīng le nǐde quàndǎo . nǐ bǐ wǒ yǒulì liáng , qiĕ shēng le wǒ . wǒ zhōng rì chéngwéi xiàohua , rénrén dōu xìnòng wǒ .

8 Wǒ mĕi fùng jiǎnglùn de shíhou , jiù fāchū āi shēng , wǒ hǎnjiào shuō , yǒu qiángbào hé huǐmiè . yīnwei Yēhéhuá de huà zhōng rì chéng le wǒde língrǔ , jī cī .

9 Wǒ ruò shuō , wǒ bú zaì tí Yēhéhuá , yĕ bú zaì fèng tāde míng jiǎnglùn , wǒ biàn xīnli juéde sìhu yǒu shāo zhe de huǒ bì sè zaì wǒ gǔ zhōng , wǒ jiù Hán rĕn bù zhù , bùnéng zì jīn .

10 Wǒ tīngjian le xǔduō rén de chán bàng , sìwéi dōu shì jīngxià . jiù shì wǒ zhī jǐ de péngyou yĕ dōu kuītàn wǒ , yuàn wǒ diēdǎo , shuō , gào tā ba , wǒmen yĕ yào gào tā . huòzhĕ tā beì yǐnyòu , wǒmen jiù néng shēng tā , zaì tā shēnshang bàochóu .

11 Ránér , Yēhéhuá yǔ wǒ tóng zaì , hǎoxiàng shén kĕpà de yǒng shì . yīncǐ , bīpò wǒde bì dōu bàn diē , bùnéng déshèng . tāmen bì dàdà méng xiū , jiù shì shòu yǒng bù wàngjì de xiūrǔ , yīnwei tāmen xíngshì méiyǒu zhìhuì .

12 Shìyàn yì rén , chákàn rén feì fǔ xīncháng de wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá a , qiú nǐ róng wǒ jiàn nǐ zaì tāmen shēnshang bàochóu , yīn wǒ jiāng wǒde ànjiàn xiàng nǐ bǐng míng le .

13 Nǐmen yào xiàng Yēhéhuá chàng gē . zànmĕi Yēhéhuá . yīn tā jiù le qióngrén de xìngméng tuōlí è rén de shǒu .

14 Yuàn wǒ shēng de nà rì shòu zhòuzǔ . yuàn wǒ mǔqin chǎn wǒde nà rì bù méng fú .

15 Gĕi wǒ fùqin bàoxìn shuō nǐ dé le érzi , shǐ wǒ fùqin shén huānxǐ de , yuàn nà rén shòu zhòuzǔ .

16 Yuàn nà rén xiàng Yēhéhuá suǒ qīngfù ér bù hòuhuǐ de chéngyì . yuàn tā zǎochen tīngjian āi shēng , shǎngwu tīngjian nè hǎn .

17 Yīn tā zaì wǒ wèi chū tāi de shíhou bú shā wǒ , shǐ wǒ mǔqin chéng le wǒde fùnmù , tāi jiù shícháng zhòng dà .

18 Wǒ wèihé chū tāi jiàn laólù chóukǔ , shǐ wǒde nián rì yīn xiūkuì xiāomiè ne .

Yēlìmǐshū 20 Commentary

Chapter 20

The doom of Pashur, who ill-treated the prophet. (1-6) Jeremiah complains of hard usage. (7-13) He regrets his ever having been born. (14-18)

Verses 1-6 Pashur smote Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks. Jeremiah was silent till God put a word into his mouth. To confirm this, Pashur has a name given him, "Fear on every side." It speaks a man not only in distress, but in despair; not only in danger, but in fear on every side. The wicked are in great fear where no fear is, for God can make the most daring sinner a terror to himself. And those who will not hear of their faults from God's prophets, shall be made to hear them from their consciences. Miserable is the man thus made a terror to himself. His friends shall fail him. God lets him live miserably, that he may be a monument of Divine justice.

Verses 7-13 The prophet complains of the insult and injury he experienced. But ver. ( 7 ) may be read, Thou hast persuaded me, and I was persuaded. Thou wast stronger than I; and didst overpower me by the influence of thy Spirit upon me. So long as we see ourselves in the way of God, and of duty, it is weakness and folly, when we meet with difficulties and discouragements, to wish we had never set out in it. The prophet found the grace of God mighty in him to keep him to his business, notwithstanding the temptation he was in to throw it up. Whatever injuries are done to us, we must leave them to that God to whom vengeance belongs, and who has said, I will repay. So full was he of the comfort of God's presence, the Divine protection he was under, and the Divine promise he had to depend upon, that he stirred up himself and others to give God the glory. Let the people of God open their cause before Him, and he will enable them to see deliverance.

Verses 14-18 When grace has the victory, it is good to be ashamed of our folly, to admire the goodness of God, and be warned to guard our spirits another time. See how strong the temptation was, over which the prophet got the victory by Divine assistance! He is angry that his first breath was not his last. While we remember that these wishes are not recorded for us to utter the like, we may learn good lessons from them. See how much those who think they stand, ought to take heed lest they fall, and to pray daily, Lead us not into temptation. How frail, changeable, and sinful is man! How foolish and unnatural are the thoughts and wishes of our hearts, when we yield to discontent! Let us consider Him who endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, lest we should be at any time weary and faint in our minds under our lesser trials.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 20

This chapter gives an account of the usage that Jeremiah met with from many for his prophecies, and the effect it had upon him. He was smitten and put in the stocks by Pashur the priest, who released him the next day, Jer 20:1-3; upon which he prophesies again of the delivery of the city of Jerusalem, with all its riches, and of the whole land, to the Chaldeans; and particularly that Pashur should be a terror to himself and all his friends; and that both he and they should be carried captive into Babylon, and die, and be buried there, Jer 20:4-6; and then he complains of his being mocked at by the people for the word of the Lord; which he therefore determined to make no more mention of, but was obliged to it; and of the defamations of him, and snares that were laid for him, Jer 20:7-10; under which he is supported with the consideration of the Lord's being with him, and that his enemies should not prevail, but be confounded; and appeals to him, and calls for vengeance from him on them; and, in the view of deliverance, not only praises the Lord himself, but calls upon others to join with him in it, Jer 20:11-13; and yet, after all, the chapter is concluded with his cursing the day of his birth, and the man that brought his father the news of it, Jer 20:14-18.