em, and take them away, and carry them to Babylon.

20:6. But thou Phassur, and all that dwell in thy house, shall go into
captivity, and thou shalt go to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and
there thou shalt be buried, thou and all thy friends, to whom thou hast
prophesied a lie.

20:7. Thou hast deceived me, O Lord, and I am deceived: thou hast been
stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed. I am become a laughingstock
all the day, all scoff at me.

Thou hast deceived, etc... The meaning of the prophet, is not to charge
God with any untruth; but what he calls deceiving, was only the
concealing from him, when he accepted of the prophetical commission, the
greatness of the evils which the execution of that commission was to
bring upon him.

20:8. For I am speaking now this long time, crying out against iniquity,
and I often proclaim devastation: and the word of the Lord is made a
reproach to me, and a derision all the day.

20:9. Then I said: I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in
his name: and there came in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my
bones, and I was wearied, not being able to bear it.

20:10. For I heard the reproaches of many, and terror on every side:
Persecute him, and let us persecute him: from all the men that were my
familiars, and continued at my side: if by any means he may be deceived,
and we may prevail against him, and be revenged on him.

20:11. But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior: therefore they that
persecute me shall fall, and shall be weak: they shall be greatly
confounded, because they have not understood the everlasting reproach,
which never shall be effaced.

20:12. And thou, O Lord of hosts, prover of the just, who seest the
reins and the heart: let me see, I beseech thee, thy vengeance on them:
for to thee I have laid open my cause.

Let me see, etc... This prayer proceeded not from hatred or ill will,
but zeal of justice.

20:13. Sing ye to the Lord, praise the Lord: because he hath delivered
the soul of the poor out of the hand of the wicked.

20:14. Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day in which my
mother bore me, be blessed.

Cursed be the day, etc... In these, and the following words of the
prophet, there is a certain figure of speech to express with more energy
the greatness of the evils to which his birth had exposed him.

20:15. Cursed be the man that brought the tidings to my father, saying:
A man child is born to thee