Jeremiah 1
1 Words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who [are] in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin,
The words of Jeremiah the son of Chilkiyahu, one of the priests that were in 'Anathoth in the land of Benjamin;
2 to whom the word of YHWH has been in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign,
To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon the king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign,
3 and it is in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the completion of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the expulsion of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
And who continued [prophet] in the days of Jehoyakim 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 carrying away into exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 “Before I form you in the belly, I have known you; and before you come forth from the womb I have separated you; I have made you a prophet to the nations.”
Before yet I had formed thee in thy mother's body I knew thee; and before thou wast yet come forth out of the womb I sanctified thee: a prophet unto the nations did I ordain thee.
6 And I say, “Aah! Lord YHWH! Behold, I have not known—to speak, for I [am] a youth.”
And I said, Ah, Lord Eternal! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am [but] a lad.
7 And YHWH says to me, “Do not say, I [am] a youth, for to all to whom I send you—go, and all that I command you—speak.
And the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am [but] a lad; but to whomsoever I may send thee shalt thou go, and whatsoever I may command thee shalt thou speak.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces, for I [am] with you to deliver you,” a declaration of YHWH.
Be not afraid because of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9 And YHWH puts forth His hand, and strikes against my mouth, and YHWH says to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
And the Lord stretched forth his hand, and touched [me] therewith on my mouth; and the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have charged you this day concerning the nations, and concerning the kingdoms, to pluck up, and to break down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”
See, I have appointed thee this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down: to build up, and to plant.
11 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying, “What are you seeing, Jeremiah?” And I say, “I am seeing a rod of an almond tree.”
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, A staff of all almond-tree do I see.
12 And YHWH says to me, “You have seen well: for I am watching over My word to do it.”
And the Lord said unto me, Thou hast well seen; for I am watching over my word to perform it.
13 And there is a word of YHWH to me a second time, saying, “What are you seeing?” And I say, “I am seeing a blown pot, and its face [is] from the north.”
And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, A seething pot do I see; and the front thereof is turned from the north.
14 And YHWH says to me, “From the north the evil is loosed against all inhabitants of the land.
And the Lord said unto me, Out of the north shall the evil break forth over all the inhabitants of the land,
15 For behold, I am calling for all families of the kingdoms of the north,” a declaration of YHWH, “And they have come, and each put his throne at the opening of the gates of Jerusalem, and by its walls all around, and by all cities of Judah.
For, lo, I will call unto 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 upon all its walls round about, and upon [those of] all the cities of Judah.
16 And I have spoken My judgments with them concerning all their evil, in that they have forsaken Me, and make incense to other gods, and bow themselves to the works of their own hands.
And I will call them to account touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burnt incense unto other gods, and have bowed down unto the works of their own hands.
17 And you, you gird up your loins, and have arisen, and spoken to them all that I command you: do not be frightened because of them, lest I frighten you before them.
But do thou gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I may command thee; be not discouraged because of them, lest I humble thee before them.
18 And I, behold, have given you this day for a fortified city, and for an iron pillar, and for bronze walls over all the land, to the kings of Judah, to its heads, to its priests, and to the people of the land;
But I, behold, I have made of thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls over the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.
19 and they have fought against you, and they do not prevail against you; for I [am] with you,” a declaration of YHWH, “to deliver you.”
And [although] they fight against thee, they shall not prevail against thee; for with thee am I saith the Lord, to deliver thee.
