Jeremiah 1

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:2 to whom the word of Jehovah came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.4 Now the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.6 Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child.7 But Jehovah said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak.8 Be not afraid because of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Jehovah.9 Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth:10 see, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond-tree.12 Then said Jehovah unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it.13 And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the north.14 Then Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith Jehovah; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them.18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to deliver thee.

JEREMIAH 1

1 My name is Jeremiah. I am a priest, and my father Hilkiah and everyone else in my family are from Anathoth in the territory of the Benjamin tribe. This book contains the things that the [Lord] told me to say. 2 t The [Lord] first spoke to me in the thirteenth year that Josiaht was king of Judah,

3 t and he continued to speak to me during the rule of Josiah's son Jehoiakim.t The last time the [Lord] spoke to me was in the fifth montht of the eleventh year that Josiah's son Zedekiaht was king. That was also when the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners.

The [Lord] Chooses Jeremiah

4 The [Lord] said:

5 “Jeremiah, I am your Creator,
and before you were born,
I chose you to speak for me
to the nations.”

6 I replied, “I'm not a good speaker, [Lord], and I'm too young.”
7 “Don't say you're too young,” the [Lord] answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don't leave out a word!

8 I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don't be afraid.”
9 The [Lord] reached out his hand, then he touched my mouth and said, “I am giving you the words to say,

10 and I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again.”

11 The [Lord] showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I answered, “A branch of almonds that ripen early.”

12 “That's right,” the [Lord] replied, “and I always rise earlyt to keep a promise.”

13 Then the [Lord] showed me something else and asked, “What do you see now?”
I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water in the north, and it's about to spill out toward us.”

14 The [Lord] said:
I will pour out destruction
all over the land.

15 Just watch while I send
for the kings of the north.
They will attack and capture
Jerusalem and other towns,
then set up their thrones
at the gates of Jerusalem.

16 I will punish my people,
because they are guilty
of turning from me
to worship idols.

17 Jeremiah, get ready!
Go and tell the people
what I command you to say.
Don't be frightened by them,
or I will make you terrified
while they watch.

18 My power will make you strong
like a fortress
or a column of iron
or a wall of bronze.
You will oppose all of Judah,
including its kings and leaders,
its priests and people.

19 They will fight back,
but they won't win.
I, the [Lord], give my word—
I won't let them harm you.