Jeremiah 1
New Living Translation
1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2 The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.[a] 3 The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August[b] of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.
Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions
4 The Lord gave me this message:
5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,
“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
10 Today I appoint you to stand up
against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
and plant.”
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”
And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”
12 And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching,[c] and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”
13 Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?”
And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.”
14 “Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. 15 Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken!
“They will set their thrones
at the gates of the city.
They will attack its walls
and all the other towns of Judah.
16 I will pronounce judgment
on my people for all their evil—
for deserting me and burning incense to other gods.
Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands!
17 “Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them,
or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
18 For see, today I have made you strong
like a fortified city that cannot be captured,
like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—
the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
19 They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Footnotes
- 1:2 The thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign was 627 B.c.
- 1:3 Hebrew In the fifth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of events in Jeremiah can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Babylonian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. The fifth month in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign occurred within the months of August and September 586 B.c. Also see 52:12 and the note there.
- 1:12 The Hebrew word for “watching” (shoqed) sounds like the word for “almond tree” (shaqed).
Jeremiah 1
Expanded Bible
1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah [C perhaps the person who discovered the lost book of the law; 2 Kin. 22:4, 8–14]. ·He belonged to the family of [L …from the] priests who lived in Anathoth [C a town given to the Levites a few miles northeast of Jerusalem; Josh. 21:18; 1 Kin. 2:26] in the land of Benjamin. 2 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah [C 627–626 bc; a good king who returned Israel to true worship; 2 Kin. 22:1—23:31; 2 Chr. 34–35]. 3 The Lord also spoke to Jeremiah while Jehoiakim [2 Kin. 23:34–37; 2 Chr. 36:4–8] son of Josiah was king of Judah and during the eleven years that Zedekiah [2 Kin. 24:18–20; 2 Chr. 36:11–16] son of Josiah was king of Judah. In the fifth month of his last year [C 586 bc], the people of Jerusalem were taken away as ·captives [exiles; 2 Kin. 25:1–21; 2 Chr. 36:4–8].
The Lord Calls Jeremiah
4 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:
5 “Before I ·made [formed] you in your mother’s womb, I ·chose [L knew] you.
Before you ·were born [L came out of the womb], I ·set you apart for a special work [consecrated you].
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a ·boy [child; youth].”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a ·boy [child; youth].’ You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I ·tell you to say [L command you]. 8 Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord ·reached [L sent] out his hand and touched my mouth [C to consecrate it; Is. 6:7]. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth. 10 Today I have ·put you in charge of [L appointed you over] nations and kingdoms. You will ·pull [pluck] up and ·tear [pull] down, destroy and overthrow, build up and plant [C he will announce judgment and salvation].”
Jeremiah Sees Two Visions
11 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered, “I see a ·stick [branch] of almond ·wood [tree].”
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, because I am watching to make sure my words come true [C “to watch” (shaqad) sounds like “almond tree” (shoqed)].”
13 The Lord spoke his word to me ·again [or a second time]: “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water, tipping over from the north.”
14 The Lord said to me, “Disaster will ·come [let loose; open up] from the north and strike all the people who live in this country [C the Babylonians would attack from the north]. 15 In a short time I will call all of the ·people [clans] in the northern kingdoms,” said the Lord.
“Those kings will come and set up their thrones
near the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.
They will attack all the city walls around Jerusalem
and all the cities in Judah.
16 And I will announce my judgments against my people
because of their evil in ·turning away from [abandoning; forsaking] me.
They ·offered sacrifices [or burned incense] to other gods
and ·worshiped [bowed down to] ·idols they had made with [L the works of] their own hands.
17 “Jeremiah, ·get ready [brace yourself; L gird up your loins]. Stand up and tell them everything I command you to say. Don’t be afraid of the people, or I will give you good reason to be afraid of them. 18 Today I am going to make you a ·strong [fortified] city, an iron pillar, a bronze wall. You will be able to stand against everyone in the land: Judah’s kings, officers, priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they will not ·defeat [prevail over] you, because I am with you to protect you!” says the Lord.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.