Jeremiah 1:1-19
1 The words of Jeremiah*+ the son of Hil·kiʹah,* one of the priests that were in Anʹa·thoth+ in the land of Benjamin;+
2 to whom the word of Jehovah occurred in the days of Jo·siʹah+ the son of Aʹmon,+ the king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reigning.+
3 And it kept on occurring in the days of Je·hoiʹa·kim+ the son of Jo·siʹah, the king of Judah, until the completion of the eleventh year of Zed·e·kiʹah*+ the son of Jo·siʹah, the king of Judah, until Jerusalem went into exile in the fifth month.+
4 And the word of Jehovah began to occur to me, saying:
5 “Before I was forming you in the belly+ I knew you,+ and before you proceeded to come forth from the womb I sanctified you.+ Prophet to the nations I made you.”
6 But I said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here I actually do not know how to speak,+ for I am but a boy.”*+
7 And Jehovah went on to say to me: “Do not say, ‘I am but a boy.’ But to all those to whom I shall send you, you should go; and everything that I shall command you, you should speak.+
8 Do not be afraid because of their faces,+ for ‘I am with you to deliver you,’+ is the utterance of Jehovah.”
9 At that Jehovah thrust his hand out and caused it to touch my mouth.+ Then Jehovah said to me: “Here I have put my words in your mouth.+
10 See, I have commissioned you this day to be over the nations and over the kingdoms,+ in order to uproot and to pull down and to destroy and to tear down,+ to build and to plant.”+
11 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “What are you seeing, Jeremiah?”
So I said: “An offshoot* of an almond tree* is what I am seeing.”
12 And Jehovah went on to say to me: “You have seen well, for I am keeping awake* concerning my word in order to carry it out.”+
13 And the word of Jehovah proceeded to occur to me the second time, saying: “What are you seeing?”
So I said: “A widemouthed cooking pot blown upon* is what I am seeing, and its mouth* is away from the north.”
14 At this Jehovah said to me: “Out of the north the calamity will be loosened against all the inhabitants of the land.+
15 For ‘here I am calling for all the families of the kingdoms of the north,’ is the utterance of Jehovah;+ ‘and they will certainly come and place each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,+ and against all her walls round about and against all the cities of Judah.+
16 And I will speak with them my judgments over all their badness,+ in that they have left me+ and they keep making sacrificial smoke to other gods*+ and bowing down to the works of their own hands.’+
17 “And as for you, you should gird up your hips,+ and you must rise up and speak to them everything that I myself command you. Do not be struck with any terror because of them,+ in order that I may not strike you with terror before them.
18 But as for me, here I have made you today a fortified city and an iron pillar and copper walls+ against all the land,+ toward the kings of Judah, toward her princes, toward her priests and toward the people of the land.*+
19 And they will be certain to fight against you, but they will not prevail against you,+ for ‘I am with you,’+ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘to deliver you.’”+
Footnotes
^ Meaning “My Portion Is Jehovah.” Heb., Chil·qi·yaʹhu.
^ Meaning “Jehovah Loosens [the womb]”; or, “Jehovah Exalts.” Heb., Yir·meyaʹhu.
^ “Of Zedekiah.” Heb., leTsidh·qi·yaʹhu, meaning “Jehovah Is Righteousness.”
^ Or, “young person.” Heb., naʹʽar.
^ Or, “staff; rod.” Compare 1Sa 17:40, 43.
^ “An almond tree.” Heb., sha·qedhʹ, “awakening one”; one of the first trees to bloom in the spring.
^ “Am keeping awake.” Heb., sho·qedhʹ, corresponding to sha·qedhʹ in vs 11.
^ “Blown upon,” as respects the fire underneath. Or, “set aflame,” suggesting a furnace.
^ “To . . . gods.” Heb., leʼ·lo·himʹ.
^ “And toward the people of the land.” Heb., u·leʽamʹ ha·ʼaʹrets. Later used contemptuously. Compare Joh 7:47-49.
