Jeremiah, Sarah Barry
HIS WORD A FIRE IN MY HEART
Passage: Jeremiah 20:7~18  
Key verse: 9
Jeremiah’s Complaint7 You deceived[a](A) me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];
you overpowered(B) me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed(C) all day long;
everyone mocks(D) me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.(E)
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach(F) all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”(G)
his word is in my heart like a fire,(H)
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;(I)
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror(J) on every side!
Denounce(K) him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends(L)
are waiting for me to slip,(M) saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail(N) over him
and take our revenge(O) on him.”
11 But the Lord(P) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors(Q) will stumble and not prevail.(R)
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;(S)
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,(T)
let me see your vengeance(U) on them,
for to you I have committed(V) my cause.
13 Sing(W) to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues(X) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.(Y)
14 Cursed be the day I was born!(Z)
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns(AA)
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing(AB) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,(AC)
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb(AD)
to see trouble(AE) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?(AF)
7 You deceived[a](A) me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];
you overpowered(B) me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed(C) all day long;
everyone mocks(D) me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.(E)
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach(F) all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”(G)
his word is in my heart like a fire,(H)
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;(I)
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror(J) on every side!
Denounce(K) him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends(L)
are waiting for me to slip,(M) saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail(N) over him
and take our revenge(O) on him.”
11 But the Lord(P) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors(Q) will stumble and not prevail.(R)
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;(S)
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,(T)
let me see your vengeance(U) on them,
for to you I have committed(V) my cause.
13 Sing(W) to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues(X) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.(Y)
14 Cursed be the day I was born!(Z)
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns(AA)
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing(AB) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,(AC)
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb(AD)
to see trouble(AE) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?(AF)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
Cross references
- Jeremiah 20:7 : S Ex 5:23; 22:16
- Jeremiah 20:7 : Isa 8:11; Am 3:8; 1Co 9:16
- Jeremiah 20:7 : Job 12:4
- Jeremiah 20:7 : S Job 17:2; S Ps 119:21
- Jeremiah 20:8 : Jer 6:7; 28:8
- Jeremiah 20:8 : S 2Ch 36:16; S Jer 6:10
- Jeremiah 20:9 : Jer 44:16
- Jeremiah 20:9 : S Ps 39:3; S Jer 4:19
- Jeremiah 20:9 : S Job 4:2; S Jer 6:11; Am 3:8; Ac 4:20
- Jeremiah 20:10 : Jer 6:25
- Jeremiah 20:10 : Ne 6:6-13; Isa 29:21
- Jeremiah 20:10 : S Job 19:14; S Jer 13:21
- Jeremiah 20:10 : S Ps 57:4; S Jer 18:22; Lk 11:53-54
- Jeremiah 20:10 : S 1Ki 19:2
- Jeremiah 20:10 : S 1Sa 18:25; S Jer 11:19
- Jeremiah 20:11 : Jer 1:8; Ro 8:31
- Jeremiah 20:11 : Jer 15:15; 17:18
- Jeremiah 20:11 : S Ps 129:2
- Jeremiah 20:11 : S Jer 7:19; 23:40
- Jeremiah 20:12 : S Ps 7:9; S Jer 17:10
- Jeremiah 20:12 : Dt 32:35; S Ro 12:19
- Jeremiah 20:12 : Ps 62:8; Jer 11:20
- Jeremiah 20:13 : S Isa 12:6
- Jeremiah 20:13 : Ps 34:6; 35:10
- Jeremiah 20:13 : S Ps 97:10
- Jeremiah 20:14 : S Job 3:8, 16; Jer 15:10
- Jeremiah 20:16 : S Ge 19:25
- Jeremiah 20:16 : S Jer 6:26
- Jeremiah 20:17 : S Job 3:16; S 10:18-19
- Jeremiah 20:18 : S Job 3:10-11; S Ecc 4:2
- Jeremiah 20:18 : S Ge 3:17; S Job 5:7
- Jeremiah 20:18 : S 1Ki 19:4; Ps 90:9; 102:3
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. The word has brought me insult (7-10)
Jeremiah complained to God. He had spoken God's word clearly, without compromise; because of this, he was insulted and beaten. People did not want to hear the truth. But he could not be silent because God's word was like a burning fire in his heart.
2. To you I committed my cause (11-13)
When even his friends turned against him, he turned to the Lord. He proclaimed, 'The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior.' He praised God who rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked. He did not seek revenge on his enemies; he committed his cause to God.
3. Why was I born? (14-18)
When he thought about the words of warning which he must continue to proclaim, he could not but be sorrowful. But Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, spoke God's word to the people of his time and to us.
Prayer: Lord, let your word be a burning fire in me. Help me to teach it truthfully.
One Word: God's word is a burning fire