< Jeremiah 1 >
1 THE WORDS of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,
The word of God which came to Jeremias the [son] of Chelcias, of the priests, who lived in Anathoth in the land 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 reign.
[accordingly] as the word of God came to him in the days of Josias son of Amos king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
And it was in the days of Joakim, son of Josias king of Juda, until the eleventh year of Sedekias king of Juda, [even] until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
And the word of the Lord came to him, [saying],
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.
Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you; and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
6 Then said I: 'Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.'
And I said, O Lord, you that are supreme Lord, behold, I know not [how] to speak, for I am a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me: say not: I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak.
And the Lord said to me, Say not, I am a child: for you shall go to all to whoever I shall send you, and according to all [the words] that I shall command you, you shall speak.
8 Be not afraid of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Be not afraid before them: for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.
9 Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and the LORD said unto me: Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth;
And the Lord stretched forth his hand to me, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words into your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to plant.
Behold, I have appointed you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to rebuild, and to plant.
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 'Jeremiah, what seest thou?' And I said: 'I see a rod of an almond-tree.'
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, What see you? And I said, A rod of an almond tree.
12 Then said the LORD unto me: 'Thou hast well seen; for I watch over My word to perform it.'
And the Lord said to me, You have well seen: for I have watched over my words to perform them.
13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying: 'What seest thou?' And I said: 'I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is from the north.'
And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, What see you? And I said, A caldron on the fire; and the face of it is toward the north.
14 Then the LORD said unto me: 'Out of the north the evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
And the Lord said to me, From the north shall flame forth evils upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
For, behold, I call together all the kingdoms of the earth from the north, says the Lord; and they shall come, and shall set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls round about her, and against all the cities of Juda.
16 And I will utter My judgments against them touching all their wickedness; in that they have forsaken me, and have offered unto other gods, and worshipped the work of their own hands.
And I will speak to them in judgment, concerning all their iniquity, [forasmuch] as they have forsaken me, and sacrificed to strange gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them.
And do you gird up your loins, and stand up, and speak all [the words] that I shall command you: be not afraid of their face, neither be you alarmed before them; for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
Behold, I have made you this day as a strong city, and as a brazen wall, strong [against] all the kings of Juda, and the princes thereof, and the people of the land.
19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.'
And they shall fight against you; but they shall by no means prevail against you; because I am with you, to deliver you, says the Lord.