Jeremiah 1
1 [I], Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, [am writing] these messages. [I am] a priest, from Anathoth [town] in the area where the tribe of Benjamin [lives].
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,
2 Yahweh started to give me these messages when Josiah had been ruling Judah for almost 13 years.
to whom the word of Jehovah came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 Yahweh continued to give me more messages when Josiah’s son Jehoiakim was the king, and he continued to do that until Zedekiah had been the king of Judah for almost eleven years. It was in August of that year that the people of Jerusalem were (exiled/taken as prisoners) [to Babylonia].
It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away captive of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 [One day] Yahweh gave me this message:
Now the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
5 “I knew you before I [finished] forming you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I (set you apart/chose you) and I appointed you to be [my] prophet [whose messages would be] for [all] nations.”
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee. I have appointed thee a prophet to the nations.
6 I replied, “O, Yahweh my God, I am [not qualified to] speak [for you], because I am very young!”
Then I said, Ah, lord Jehovah! Behold, I know not how to speak, for I am a child.
7 Yahweh replied, “Do not say that, because you must go to everyone to whom I will send you, and you must tell them everything that I tell you to say.
But Jehovah said to me, Say not, I am a child. For to whomever I shall send thee thou shall go, and whatever I shall command thee thou shall speak.
8 And you must not be afraid of the people [to whom you will speak], because I will protect you [from being harmed by them]. [This will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!”
Be not afraid because of them, for I am with thee to deliver thee, says Jehovah.
9 Then [it was as though] Yahweh touched my mouth and said, “Listen to me! I am (putting my message into your mouth/telling you what you must speak).
Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And Jehovah said to me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 Today I am appointing you to warn nations and kingdoms. You will tell them that I will completely destroy and get rid of [DOU] some of them and that I will establish [MET] others and cause them to be strong.”
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.
11 Then Yahweh said to me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”
Moreover the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do thou see? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12 Yahweh said, “That is correct. And [because the word for ‘almond’ resembles the word for ‘watching’], it means that I am watching [what will happen], and I will make certain that what I have said to you [about destroying nations] will happen.”
Then Jehovah said to me, Thou have well seen. For I watch over my word to perform it.
13 [Then] Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “What do you see [now]?” I replied, “I see a pot full of boiling [water] [MTY]. It is tipping [toward me] from the north.”
And the word of Jehovah came to me the second time, saying, What do thou see? And I said, I see a boiling caldron, and the face of it is from the north.
14 Yahweh replied, “[Yes! It means that] from the north great trouble/destruction will [spread] [MET] over this land, [like boiling water] [MET] pouring [from a pot].
Then Jehovah said to me, Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 Listen to what I say: I am summoning [the armies of] kingdoms that will come from the north [of Judah] to Jerusalem. Their kings will set up their thrones at the gates of this city [to indicate that they are now the kings of Judah]. [Their armies] will attack [and break down] the walls of this city, and [they will do the same thing to] all the [other] towns in Judah.
For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says Jehovah. 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 of it round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will punish [MTY] my people because of all the evil things that they have done; they have abandoned me and they worship gods/idols. They worship idols that they have made with their own hands!
And I will utter my judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
17 So, get up and put on your clothes [to get ready for action]! Then go to the people of Judah and tell them everything that I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, because [if you are afraid of them], I will cause you to be truly terrified in front of them!
Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command thee. Be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them.
18 But listen! I will cause you to be [strong, like] [MET] a city that has strong walls around it. You will be [as strong as] [MET] an iron pillar or a bronze wall. None of the kings or officials or priests will be able to defeat you.
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 rulers of it, against the priests of it, and against the people of the land.
19 They will oppose you, but they will not be able to defeat you, because I will be with you and will protect you. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!”
And they shall fight against thee. But they shall not prevail against thee, for I am with thee, says Jehovah, to deliver thee.
