Jeremiah 1
English Standard Version
1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one (A)of the priests who were in (B)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of (C)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in (D)the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of (E)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and (F)until the end of the eleventh year of (G)Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, (H)until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
The Call of Jeremiah
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 (I)“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born (J)I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet (K)to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, (L)I do not know how to speak, (M)for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and (N)whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 (O)Do not be afraid of them,
(P)for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”
9 (Q)Then the Lord put out his hand and (R)touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put (S)my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day (T)over nations and over kingdoms,
(U)to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (V)“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond[a] branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see (W)a boiling pot, facing away (X)from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, (Y)“Out of the north disaster[b] shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, (Z)I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, (AA)and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And (AB)I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil (AC)in forsaking me. (AD)They have made offerings to other gods and (AE)worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, (AF)dress yourself for work;[c] arise, and (AG)say to them everything that I command you. (AH)Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day (AI)a fortified city, (AJ)an iron pillar, and (AK)bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 (AL)They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for (AM)I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12)
- Jeremiah 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah
- Jeremiah 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins
Yirmeyah 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
1 Divrei Yirmeyah ben Chilkiyah, of the kohanim that were in Anatot in Eretz Binyamin;
2 To whom the Devar Hashem came in the days of Yoshiyah ben Amon Melech Yehudah, in the thirteenth year of his reign [i.e., 627.B.C.E.).
3 And in the days of Y’hoyakim ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyah ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that is, until the Golus Yerushalayim captive in the fifth month [i.e., 587 B.C.E.].
4 Then the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the beten I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the rechem I set thee apart as kodesh, and I ordained thee a navi unto the Goyim.
6 Then said I, Ah, Adonoi Hashem! hinei, I have no da’as to speak; for I am a na’ar.
7 But Hashem said unto me, Say not, Na’ar anochi; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Hashem.
9 Then Hashem put forth His yad, and touched my mouth. And Hashem said unto me, Hinei, I put My words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this yom set thee over the Goyim and over the mamlachot (kingdoms), to uproot, and to tear down, and to destroy, and to demolish, to build, and to plant.
11 Moreover the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying, Yirmeyah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a makel SHAQED (a branch of an almond tree).
12 Then said Hashem unto me, Thou hast well seen: for SHOQED (WATCHING) I am over My Devar to carry it out.
13 And the Devar Hashem came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a SIYR NAFUACH (A BOILING CAULDRON) tipping over from the north.
14 Then Hashem said unto me, From the north hara’ah (the evil, disaster) TIPATACH (SHALL BE POURED OUT) upon all the inhabitants of HaAretz.
15 For, hineni, I am now summoning all the mishpekhot mamlechot of the north, saith Hashem; they shall come, they shall set every one his kisse at the petach Sha’arei Yerushalayim, and against all the surrounding chomot thereof, against all the towns of Yehudah.
16 And I will pronounce My mishpatim against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken Me, and have burned ketoret unto elohim acherim, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
17 Thou therefore tighten thy gartel of readiness, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not fearful before them, lest I make thee fearful before them.
18 For, hinei, I have made thee today an ir mivtzar (a fortified city), and an ammud barzel, and a chomat nechoshet against kol HaAretz, against the melachim of Yehudah, against the sarim thereof, against the kohanim thereof, and against the am ha’aretz.
19 And they shall make war against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith Hashem, to deliver thee.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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