Jeremiah 1

1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

2To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

3It 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.

4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.footnote a

6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

7But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

12Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

13And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.footnote b

14Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.footnote c

15For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

16And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.footnote d

18For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen 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.

19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

The Call of Jeremiah

1These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.

2The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3and through the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

4The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born I set you apartand appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

6“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”

7But the LORD told me:“Do not say,‘I am only a child.’For to everyone I send you,you must go,and all that I command you,you must speak. 8Do not be afraid of them,for I am with you to deliver you,”declares the LORD.

9Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me:“Behold, I have put My wordsin your mouth. 10See, I have appointed you todayover nations and kingdomsto uproot and tear down,to destroy and overthrow,to build and plant.”

11And the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
“I see a branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

12“You have observed correctly,” said the LORD, “for I am watchingfootnote a over My word to accomplish it.”

13Again the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “What do you see?”
“I see a boiling pot,” I replied, “and it is tilting toward us from the north.”

14Then the LORD said to me, “Disaster from the north will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15For I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD.“Their kings will come and set up their thronesat the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.They will attack all her surrounding wallsand all the other cities of Judah. 16I will pronounce My judgments against themfor all their wickedness,because they have forsaken Me,and they have burned incense to other godsand worshiped the works of their own hands.

17Get yourself ready.footnote b Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.