Jeremiah 1:4-10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me:
5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.[a](A)
6 “Ah, Lord God!” I said,
“I do not know how to speak. I am too young!”[b]
7 But the Lord answered me,
Do not say, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the Lord.
9 Then the Lord extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying to me,
See, I place my words in your mouth!(B)
10 Today I appoint you
over nations and over kingdoms,
To uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
Footnotes
- 1:5 Jeremiah was destined to become a prophet before his birth; cf. Is 49:1, 5; Lk 1:15; Gal 1:15–16. I knew you: I loved you and chose you. I dedicated you: I set you apart to be a prophet. The nations: the neighbors of Judah, along with Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt.
- 1:6 I am too young: like Moses (Ex 3:11, 13; 4:10), Jeremiah at first resists God’s call. This narrative is perhaps patterned after the story of Moses’ call in order to identify Jeremiah as the prophet “like me” in Dt 18:15.
Jeremiah 1:4-10
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
4 Now the 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 consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” 7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.”
9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Good News Translation
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The Lord said to me, 5 “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 I answered, “Sovereign Lord, I don't know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
9 Then the Lord reached out, touched my lips, and said to me, “Listen, I am giving you the words you must speak. 10 Today I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Read full chapter
Jeremiah 1:4-10
New American Standard Bible
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I (A)formed you in the womb I knew you,
And (B)before you were born I consecrated you;
I have (C)appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then (D)I said, “Oh, Lord [a]God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because (E)I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
(F)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And (G)all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 (H)Do not be afraid of them,
For (I)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and (J)touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have (K)put My words in your mouth.
10 See, (L)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
(M)To root out and to tear down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
(N)To build and to plant.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:6 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Jeremiah 1:4-10
New International Version
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb(A) I knew[a](B) you,
before you were born(C) I set you apart;(D)
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.(E)”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;(F) I am too young.”(G)
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid(H) of them, for I am with you(I) and will rescue(J) you,” declares the Lord.(K)
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched(L) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.(M) 10 See, today I appoint you over nations(N) and kingdoms to uproot(O) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”(P)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:5 Or chose
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.