The words of Jeremiah,(A) the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living in Anathoth(B) in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah(C) son of Amon, king of Judah. It also came throughout the days of Jehoiakim(D) son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah(E) son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

The Call of Jeremiah

The word of the Lord came to me:

I chose you before I formed you in the womb;
I set you apart before you were born.(F)
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.(G)

But I protested, “Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don’t know how to speak(H) since I am only a youth.”(I)

Then the Lord said to me:

Do not say, “I am only a youth,”(J)
for you will go to everyone I send you to
and speak whatever I tell you.(K)
Do not be afraid of anyone,(L)
for I will be with you to deliver you.(M)
This is the Lord’s declaration.

Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth,(N) and told me:

I have now filled your mouth with My words.(O)
10 See, I have appointed you today
over nations and kingdoms
to uproot and tear down,
to destroy and demolish,(P)
to build and plant.(Q)

Two Visions

11 Then the word of the Lord came to me, asking, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”(R)

I replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”

12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I watch over My word to accomplish it.”(S) 13 Again the word of the Lord came to me inquiring, “What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a boiling pot,(T) its lip tilted from the north to the south.”

14 Then the Lord said to me, “Disaster will be poured out[a] from the north(U) on all who live in the land. 15 Indeed, I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north.”(V)

This is the Lord’s declaration.

They will come, and each king will set up his throne
at the entrance to Jerusalem’s gates.
They will attack all her surrounding walls
and all the other cities of Judah.

16 “I will pronounce My judgments against them for all the evil they did when they abandoned Me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their own hands.(W)

17 “Now, get ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them(X) or I will cause you to cower before them. 18 Today, I am the One who has made you a fortified city,(Y) an iron pillar, and bronze walls(Z) against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the population. 19 They will fight against you but never prevail over you,(AA) since I am with you to rescue you.”(AB)

This is the Lord’s declaration.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 1:14 LXX reads will boil

Yahweh Appoints Jeremiah as a Prophet to the Nations

The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, among the priests who were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,[a]

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you came out from the womb I consecrated you;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Look, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth.”[b] But Yahweh said to me, “You must not say, ‘I am a youth,’[c] for to whomever[d] I send you, you will go, and whatever[e] I command you, you will speak. Do not be afraid of them,[f] for I am with you to deliver you,” declares[g] Yahweh. Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and he touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I appoint you this day over the nations
and over the kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
and to destroy and to tear down,
to build and to plant.”

Yahweh Confirms Jeremiah’s Call

11 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,[h] “What are you seeing, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I am seeing a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then Yahweh said to me, “You did well to see, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 And the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying,[i] “What are you seeing?” And I said, “I am seeing a boiling[j] pot, and its face is from the face of the north.” 14 Then Yahweh said to me, “From the north disaster will be unleashed[k] on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, look, I am calling to all the clans[l] of the kingdoms of the north,” declares[m] Yahweh, “and they will come and set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its surrounding walls, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will pass[n] my judgments on them because of all their wickedness in that they have forsaken me, and they made sacrifices to other gods, and they bowed in worship to the works of their hands. 17 But you, you must gird your loins, and stand, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be afraid of them,[o] or I will shatter you before[p] them. 18 Now look, I have made you today[q] as a fortified city and as an iron pillar and a bronze wall[r] against all the land, against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you but they will not prevail against you, for I am with you,” declares[s] Yahweh, “to deliver you.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 1:4 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 1:6 Or “boy”
  3. Jeremiah 1:7 Or “boy”
  4. Jeremiah 1:7 Literally “all of whom”
  5. Jeremiah 1:7 Literally “all of that”
  6. Jeremiah 1:8 Literally “you must not be afraid from the faces of them”
  7. Jeremiah 1:8 Literally “declaration of”
  8. Jeremiah 1:11 Literally “to say”
  9. Jeremiah 1:13 Literally “to say”
  10. Jeremiah 1:13 Literally “blown upon”
  11. Jeremiah 1:14 Or “opened”
  12. Jeremiah 1:15 Or “families”
  13. Jeremiah 1:15 Literally “a declaration of”
  14. Jeremiah 1:16 Or “pronounce”
  15. Jeremiah 1:17 Literally “You must not be filled with terror from the faces of them”
  16. Jeremiah 1:17 Literally “to the faces of”
  17. Jeremiah 1:18 Literally “the day”
  18. Jeremiah 1:18 Hebrew “walls”
  19. Jeremiah 1:19 Literally “a declaration of”