Single lesson
Jeremiah Is Put in the Stocks
Jeremiah 20:1–6
This lesson guides students through Jeremiah 20:1–6 in order. They will identify what Pashhur did, what Jeremiah said after his release, and how the passage ends with Yahweh’s words about judgement and false prophecy.
Before you teach
Jeremiah 20:1–6 names Pashhur as a priest and chief officer in Yahweh’s house. He hears Jeremiah prophesying, strikes him, and puts him in the stocks. The next day Jeremiah is released and speaks a message from Yahweh about Pashhur, Judah, Babylon, captivity, and false prophecy.
Students will retell the sequence of Jeremiah 20:1–6 and identify the announced outcomes for Pashhur, Judah, and the city.
Welcome: notice the people named
5 minIntroduce the passage by naming the two main people. Pashhur is called a priest and chief officer in Yahweh’s house, and Jeremiah is called the prophet. Tell students to listen for what each person does, because the sequence of actions and words is important in this account.
Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2, Jeremiah 20:3
Read the account and map the order
9 minRead Jeremiah 20:1–6 aloud. Then list the events in order: Pashhur heard Jeremiah prophesying, Pashhur struck Jeremiah and put him in the stocks, on the next day Pashhur released him, and then Jeremiah spoke to Pashhur. Keep students close to the wording of the passage as they build the sequence.
Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2, Jeremiah 20:3
Explain Jeremiah’s message to Pashhur
10 minFocus on what Jeremiah says after he is released. He says Yahweh has not called Pashhur by his former name, but Magormissabib. Then read the outcomes Yahweh announces: Pashhur will become a terror to himself and his friends, his friends will fall by the sword, and Judah will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah 20:3, Jeremiah 20:4
Make and respond with sequence cards
10 minStudents make six simple cards, one for each verse. On each card, they write a brief summary or draw a symbol from that verse. After placing the cards in order, they use one colour for actions done by Pashhur and another for outcomes Yahweh announces. Finish by writing one sentence from the passage about false prophecy.
Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2, Jeremiah 20:3, Jeremiah 20:4, Jeremiah 20:5, Jeremiah 20:6
Closing: review the announced outcomes
6 minReview the ending carefully. Yahweh says the city’s riches, gains, precious things, and royal treasures will be given into the hand of enemies and carried to Babylon. Verse 6 adds that Pashhur and those in his house will go into captivity, die in Babylon, and be buried there, and it says Pashhur and his friends had prophesied falsely.
Jeremiah 20:5, Jeremiah 20:6
Questions to explore
What is the order of events in verses 1 to 3?
Track the verbs in sequence: Pashhur heard Jeremiah, struck him, put him in the stocks, released him the next day, and then Jeremiah spoke.
Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2, Jeremiah 20:3
What outcomes does Yahweh announce for Judah and the city?
List the details the passage gives: Judah is handed to the king of Babylon, people are carried captive, some are killed by the sword, and the city’s riches and treasures are taken away.
Jeremiah 20:4, Jeremiah 20:5
What does verse 6 say will happen to Pashhur and those in his house?
Answer with the verse’s own details: they will go into captivity, come to Babylon, die there, be buried there, and the verse says Pashhur and his friends had prophesied falsely.
Jeremiah 20:6
Make, think or respond
Six-Card Sequence and Outcome Sort
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pens or pencils
- coloured markers
- Bible text
Try it together
- Make six cards labelled Jeremiah 20:1 to Jeremiah 20:6.
- On each card, write a short summary or draw a simple symbol from that verse.
- Place the cards in order and read the full sequence aloud together.
- Use one colour to mark Pashhur’s actions and another colour to mark Yahweh’s announced outcomes.
- Write one sentence using verse 6 about how the passage evaluates Pashhur and his friends.
This activity helps students follow the order of Jeremiah 20:1–6 and distinguish between what Pashhur did and what Yahweh announced.
Adapt for your group
- For younger or less confident readers, give students prepared verse numbers and short summaries to match before they place the cards in order.
- For more confident students, ask them to sort details under the headings 'Pashhur’s actions', 'Jeremiah’s words', and 'Yahweh’s announced outcomes' using the six verses.
An optional closing prayer
Suggested prayer: "Lord God, help us listen carefully to your word and speak truthfully. Help us learn from this passage with humility and seriousness. Amen."
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Jeremiah 20
1 Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in Yahweh’s house, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in Yahweh’s house.
3 On the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “Yahweh has not called your name Pashhur, but Magormissabib.
4 For Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon, and will kill them with the sword.
5 Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all its gains, and all its precious things, yes, I will give all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies. They will make them captives, take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6 You, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house will go into captivity. You will come to Babylon, and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you, and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.’ ”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.