וַיִּשְׁמַע פַּשְׁחוּר בֶּן־אִמֵּר הַכֹּהֵן וְהוּא־פָקִיד נָגִיד בְּבֵית ה' אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ נִבָּא אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה

Pashhur son of Imer the priest, who was chief official in the House of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these matters of rebuke and bad tidings in the court of the Temple. Although Pashhur was not the High Priest, he was a prominent member of the priesthood, and a powerful figure in the Temple.

וַיַּכֶּה פַשְׁחוּר אֵת יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא וַיִּתֵּן אֹתוֹ עַל־הַמַּהְפֶּכֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן הָעֶלְיוֹן אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית ה'

Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and he then placed him in the cage, in which people were locked and publicly shamed, that was in the upper gate of Benjamin that was in the House of the Lord.

וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיֹּצֵא פַשְׁחוּר אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ מִן־הַמַּהְפָּכֶת וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יִרְמְיָהוּ לֹא פַשְׁחוּר קָרָא ה' שְׁמֶךָ כִּי אִם־מָגוֹר מִסָּבִיב

It was on the next day, and Pashhur took Jeremiah out of the cage, and Jeremiah said to him mockingly: The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but rather Terror All Around.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' הִנְנִי נֹתֶנְךָ לְמָגוֹר לְךָ וּלְכָל־אֹהֲבֶיךָ וְנָפְלוּ בְּחֶרֶב אֹיְבֵיהֶם וְעֵינֶיךָ רֹאוֹת וְאֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה אֶתֵּן בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְהִגְלָם בָּבֶלָה וְהִכָּם בֶּחָרֶב

Jeremiah prophesies: For so said the Lord: Behold, I am setting you as a symbol of terror to yourself and to all who love you. And they, all your loved ones, will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see. This prophecy will soon be fulfilled; it does not pertain to the distant future. And all of Judah I will deliver into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will exile them to Babylon, and he will smite them with the sword.

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־כָּל־חֹסֶן הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְאֶת־כָּל יְגִיעָהּ וְאֶת־כָּל־יְקָרָהּ וְאֵת כָּל־אוֹצְרוֹת מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה אֶתֵּן בְּיַד אֹיְבֵיהֶם וּבְזָזוּם וּלְקָחוּם וֶהֱבִיאוּם בָּבֶלָה

I will deliver all the resources of this city, and all its toil, and all its honor, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will deliver into the hand of their enemies, and they will loot them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. As typically occurs in war, the standard, unremarkable spoils of the city will be looted by the soldiers and officers, while the large treasuries and storehouses will be sent to the seat of government in Babylon.

וְאַתָּה פַשְׁחוּר וְכֹל יֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ תֵּלְכוּ בַּשֶּׁבִי וּבָבֶל תָּבוֹא וְשָׁם תָּמוּת וְשָׁם תִּקָּבֵר אַתָּה וְכָל־אֹהֲבֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר־נִבֵּאתָ לָהֶם בַּשָּׁקֶר

And you, Pashhur, and all the dwellers in your house, will go into captivity; to Babylon you will come and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you, and all who love you, to whom you prophesied falsely. It seems that Pashhur was not only an official in the Temple, but also a prominent member of the priesthood who would prophesy to those around him. Pashhur assured the people of their freedom, and he punished Jeremiah for his alarmism.

פִּתִּיתַנִי ה' – וָאֶפָּת חֲזַקְתַּנִי – וַתּוּכָל הָיִיתִי לִשְׂחוֹק כָּל־הַיּוֹם כֻּלֹּה לֹעֵג לִי

Once again, Jeremiah complains about his lot as a prophet. He struggles with the task of rebuking the people and prophesying the terrible atrocities that will befall them. He suffers both from articulating those prophecies and from the response of the people: Lord, You persuaded me to be Your prophet, and I was persuaded; You overpowered me, You forced these prophecies upon me, and You prevailed; because of them I have become a laughingstock all day; everyone ridicules me. I stand alone against them, as my prophecies are not fulfilled immediately, and no one believes they will occur.

כִּי־מִדֵּי אֲדַבֵּר אֶזְעָק חָמָס וָשֹׁד אֶקְרָא כִּי־הָיָה דְבַר־ה' לִי לְחֶרְפָּה וּלְקֶלֶס כָּל־הַיּוֹם

For whenever I speak, I cry out, and cannot speak of mundane matters like others; rather, I call out and warn the people against their acts of villainy and robbery and their impending doom. Since I am the one who catalogues and underscores the shortcomings of the people, I have been rejected and disgraced, for the word of the Lord has been a source of disgrace and derision for me all day.

וְאָמַרְתִּי לֹא־אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ וְלֹא־אֲדַבֵּר עוֹד בִּשְׁמוֹ – וְהָיָה בְלִבִּי כְּאֵשׁ בֹּעֶרֶת עָצֻר בְּעַצְמֹתָי וְנִלְאֵיתִי כַּלְכֵל וְלֹא אוּכָל

If I would say to myself: I will not mention Him, and I will not speak anymore in His name, as I cannot live this way; but then in my heart it, the word of God, would be as a burning fire stored in my bones, and I have wearied of containing it, and I cannot suppress His word any longer.

כִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי דִּבַּת רַבִּים – מָגוֹר מִסָּבִיב הַגִּידוּ וְנַגִּידֶנּוּ כֹּל אֱנוֹשׁ שְׁלֹמִי שֹׁמְרֵי צַלְעִי אוּלַי יְפֻתֶּה וְנוּכְלָה לּוֹ וְנִקְחָה נִקְמָתֵנוּ מִמֶּנּוּ

For I have heard the slander of the multitudes, terror all around [magor misaviv]; through slanderous speech, the people engender fear among those around them. The verse recalls the name Jeremiah bestowed upon Pashhur, indicating that Pashhur incited the people against Jeremiah. Since Jeremiah’s status was called into question, the people would say to one another: Tell, and we will tell about him. Let us discredit Jeremiah in a way that will cause him to be viewed as a criminal by the authorities. Given that a portion of Jeremiah’s prophecies were propounded during times of war, some considered his words to be propaganda on behalf of the enemy, and they accused him of weakening the morale of the people. Indeed, Jeremiah was formally accused, and his execution was sought for that crime (see chap. 26). This defamation of character was perpetrated by all the men of my trust, who allegedly protect my side. They conspire: Perhaps he will be enticed to act inappropriately, and we will then be able to prevail over him and take our revenge against him.

וַה' אוֹתִי כְּגִבּוֹר עָרִיץ עַל־כֵּן רֹדְפַי יִכָּשְׁלוּ וְלֹא יֻכָלוּ בֹּשׁוּ מְאֹד כִּי־לֹא הִשְׂכִּילוּ כְּלִמַּת עוֹלָם לֹא תִשָּׁכֵחַ

But the Lord is with me like a mighty hero. Alternatively, the verse means: But the Lord has made me like a mighty hero. God watches over me that I should not falter, and that others will not harass me. Therefore, my persecutors will fail, and they will not prevail; they are exceedingly shamed because they did not succeed, an eternal humiliation that will not be forgotten.

וַה' צְבָאוֹת בֹּחֵן צַדִּיק רֹאֶה כְלָיוֹת וָלֵב אֶרְאֶה נִקְמָתְךָ מֵהֶם כִּי אֵלֶיךָ גִּלִּיתִי אֶת־רִיבִי

The Lord of hosts, who examines the righteous, who perceives the kidneys and heart, who sees thoughts and feelings, You are aware that I do not quarrel with those who hate me. Therefore, I request: May I see Your vengeance against them, as to You alone I have revealed my contention. As mentioned previously, the list of Jeremiah’s enemies went far beyond the men of Jerusalem and unfamiliar individuals in the street; the inhabitants of his town and even his own family turned against him. The hatred that surrounded Jeremiah threatened to break him completely. Only the prophecies from God gave him strength to continue despite the immense anguish.

שִׁירוּ לַה' הַלְלוּ אֶת־ה' כִּי הִצִּיל אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ אֶבְיוֹן מִיַּד מְרֵעִים

For a moment, Jeremiah expresses words of praise: Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He saved the life of the indigent, Jeremiah, from the hand of evildoers. Jeremiah acknowledges his status as a destitute individual, and does not purport to be of any higher status.

אָרוּר הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יֻלַּדְתִּי בּוֹ יוֹם אֲשֶׁר־יְלָדַתְנִי אִמִּי אַל־יְהִי בָרוּךְ

Although Jeremiah was saved from the schemes of his enemies and did not spend the rest of his life in prison, what kind of life would he live? He may walk around freely, but he is considered somewhat deranged, and his prophecies bring him no joy. Therefore, he once again speaks especially harsh words: Cursed be the day on which I was born; the day that my mother bore me, let it not be blessed, as my life is cursed.

אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בִּשַּׂר אֶת־אָבִי לֵאמֹר יֻלַּד־לְךָ בֵּן זָכָר שַׂמֵּחַ שִׂמְּחָהוּ

Jeremiah continues his bitter lament with a touch of irony: Cursed is the man who informed my father, saying: A son was born to you, causing him joy. I curse that man, because had my father known what would befall his son, he would not have delighted in the moment. From the beginning of the book of Jeremiah, it is apparent that Jeremiah began to prophesy at a particularly young age. The young prophet, who spoke of kingdoms and future tidings, was considered strange already in his youth. As an adult, Jeremiah’s life was stressful, lonely, and sad. His role certainly did not grant him prestige or happiness.

וְהָיָה הָאִישׁ הַהוּא כֶּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר־הָפַךְ ה'וְלֹא נִחָם וְשָׁמַע זְעָקָה בַּבֹּקֶר וּתְרוּעָה בְּעֵת צָהֳרָיִם

May that man who informed my father of what turned out to be a harsh and painful event, be like the cities that the Lord overturned, Sodom and Gomorrah, which symbolize total destruction, and He did not reconsider. May he, that man, hear an outcry in the morning from the suffering, and the sound of an alarm of war or a declaration of tragedy at noontime.

אֲשֶׁר לֹא־מוֹתְתַנִי מֵרָחֶם וַתְּהִי לִי אִמִּי קִבְרִי וְרַחְמָה הֲרַת עוֹלָם

I curse the day of my birth and the one who informed my father of it, because he did not kill me in the womb, and my mother would have been my grave, and instead of me emerging alive, her womb would have had an eternal pregnancy.

לָמָּה זֶּה מֵרֶחֶם יָצָאתִי לִרְאוֹת עָמָל וְיָגוֹן וַיִּכְלוּ בְּבֹשֶׁת יָמָי!

Why is it that I emerged from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and my days having concluded in shame, as the entire world mocks me?