Jeremiah 1
1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
2 To 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 rule.
The Lord's message came to Jeremiah beginning in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah,
3 And it came again in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, up to the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah; till Jerusalem was taken away in the fifth month.
and on through the time of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, up to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, which was when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
The Lord came and told me,
5 Before you were formed in the body of your mother I had knowledge of you, and before your birth I made you holy; I have given you the work of being a prophet to the nations.
“I knew exactly who you would be before I created you in your mother's womb; I chose you before you were born to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then said I, O Lord God! see, I have no power of words, for I am a child.
“Oh no, Lord God!” I replied. “I really don't know how to speak in public because I'm still too young!”
7 But the Lord said to me, Do not say, I am a child: for wherever I send you, you are to go, and whatever I give you orders to say, you are to say.
“Don't say you're too young,” the Lord told me. “Go to everyone I send you to. Tell them everything I order you to say.
8 Have no fear because of them: for I am with you, to keep you safe, says the Lord.
Don't be afraid of them because I'll go with you and I'll look after you. This is the Lord's promise.”
9 Then the Lord put out his hand, touching my mouth; and the Lord said to me, See, I have put my words in your mouth:
The Lord stretched out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: “Look, I've put my words in your mouth.
10 See, this day I have put you over the nations and over the kingdoms, for uprooting and smashing down, for destruction and overturning, for building up and planting.
Today I've placed you over nations and kingdoms to pull up and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and plant.”
11 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch of an almond-tree.
The Lord's message came to me, asking, “Jeremiah, what can you see?” “I see a twig from an almond tree,” I answered.
12 Then the Lord said to me, You have seen well: for I keep watch over my word to give effect to it.
“That's right, because I am watching to make sure what I say happens,” the Lord said.
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, What do you see? And I said, I see a boiling pot, and its face is from the north.
The Lord's message came to me again, asking, “What can you see?” “I see a pot that's boiling,” I answered, “and it's tipping in this direction from the north.”
14 Then the Lord said to me, Out of the north evil will come, bursting out on all the people of the land.
Then the Lord told me, “Trouble brewing from the north will sweep out over everyone living in the country.
15 For see, I will send for all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord; and they will come, everyone placing his high seat at the way into Jerusalem, and against its walls on every side, and against all the towns of Judah.
Watch out! I'm going to summon all the nations and kings of the north,” declares the Lord. “Each of these kings will come and set up their thrones right at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and attack all its fortifications and all the towns in Judah.
16 And I will give my decision against them on account of all their evil-doing; because they have given me up, burning perfumes to other gods and worshipping the works of their hands.
I will carry out my sentence against the inhabitants for all their wickedness, because they abandoned me to burn incense to pagan gods, to worship idols they themselves made.
17 So make yourself ready, and go and say to them everything I give you orders to say: do not be overcome by fear of them, or I will send fear on you before them.
You need to get yourself ready. You are going to stand before the people and tell them everything that I order you to say. Don't be scared by them, or I will scare you in front of them.
18 For see, this day have I made you a walled town, and an iron pillar, and walls of brass, against all the land, against the kings of Judah, against its captains, against its priests, and against the people of the land.
Look! Today I have made you like a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of bronze to stand against the whole country—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the country.
19 They will be fighting against you, but they will not overcome you: for I am with you, says the Lord, to give you salvation.
They will fight against you but they won't defeat you, because I'll be there to rescue you,” declares the Lord.
