1 This book tells about Hilkiah's son, Jeremiah, and the words that he spoke. Jeremiah was a priest. He lived at Anathoth, a town in the land that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. 2 The Lord first spoke to him when Amon's son Josiah had been king of Judah for 13 years. [ a ] 3 The Lord also spoke to him while Josiah's son, Jehoiakim, ruled Judah as king. He continued to speak to Jeremiah until Josiah's son Zedekiah had ruled Judah for 11 years. In the fifth month of that year, Judah's enemies took the people of Jerusalem away as their prisoners.
4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 ‘I already knew you before I made you inside your mother's body. I chose you to be special before you were born. I chose you to be my prophet, to speak my message to other nations.’
6 I answered, ‘ Lord God, I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.’
7 The Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone that I send you to. You must say whatever I tell you to say. 8 Do not be afraid of them. Remember that I will be with you. I will keep you safe.’
9 Then the Lord touched my mouth with his hand. He said to me, ‘I am giving you the words that you must speak. 10 Look! I give you authority to tell nations and kingdoms what will happen to them. You will pull some of them out of the ground, like a plant and its roots. You will knock down and destroy some of them. You will bring an end to their power. But you will build up other nations and make them strong.’
11 The Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’
I replied, ‘I see the branch of an almond tree.’
12 The Lord said, ‘Yes, that is correct. I am watching carefully to make sure that what I say will happen really happens.’ [ b ]
13 The Lord asked me again. ‘What do you see?’
I replied, ‘I see in the north a pot with boiling water in it. It will pour its water in this direction.’
The Lord said, 14 ‘Yes, trouble like boiling water will come from the north. It will destroy all the people who live in this land. 15 I will call all the nations that are in the north to come here. Their kings will come and they will sit on their thrones at the city gates of Jerusalem. Their armies will be all around the walls of Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah. 16 I will punish my people for the wicked things that they have done. They have turned away from me. They have offered sacrifices to false gods. They have worshipped idols that they have made with their own hands.
17 You must be ready to move, Jeremiah! Go and say to the people whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of them. If you are afraid of them now, when you are among them, I will cause you to be very frightened! 18 I, the Lord , promise that I will make you as strong as a city with strong walls around it. You will be as strong as an iron pillar, or a wall that is made of bronze. You will speak a message against the whole nation of Judah. You will speak against its kings, its officers, its priests and all its people. 19 They will attack you. But they will not win against you, because I will be with you. I will keep you safe.
That is what the Lord says.’
1 These are the messages of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah belonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth. [ a ] That town is in the land that belongs to the tribe of Benjamin. 2 The Lord began to speak to Jeremiah in the 13th year [ b ] that Josiah, son of Amon, was king of the nation of Judah. 3 He continued to speak to Jeremiah during the time that Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was king of Judah and during the eleven years and five months that Zedekiah, also a son of Josiah, was king of Judah. In the fifth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king, the people who lived in Jerusalem were taken away into exile.
4 The Lord ’s message came to me:
5 “Before I made you in your mother’s womb,
I knew you.
Before you were born,
I chose you for a special work.
I chose you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “But, Lord God , I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’
You must go everywhere I send you
and say everything I tell you to say.
8 Don’t be afraid of anyone.
I am with you, and I will protect you.”
This message is from the Lord .
9 Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me,
“Jeremiah, I am putting my words in your mouth.
10 Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms.
You will pull up and tear down.
You will destroy and overthrow.
You will build up and plant.”
11 The Lord ’s message came to me: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered, “I see a stick made from almond wood.”
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen very well, and I am watching [ c ] to make sure that my message to you comes true.”
13 The Lord ’s message came to me again: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water. That pot is tipping over from the north.”
14 The Lord said to me, “Something terrible will come from the north.
It will happen to all the people who live in this country.
15 In a short time I will call all the people in the northern kingdoms.”
This is what the Lord said.
“The kings of those countries will come
and set up their thrones near the gates of Jerusalem.
They will attack the city walls of Jerusalem.
They will attack all the cities in Judah.
16 And I will announce judgment against my people,
because they are evil and have turned away from me.
They offered sacrifices to other gods
and worshiped idols they made with their own hands.
17 “As for you, Jeremiah, get ready.
Stand up and speak to the people.
Tell them everything that I tell you to say.
Don’t be afraid of the people.
If you are afraid of them,
I will give you good reason to be afraid of them.
18 As for me, today I will make you like a strong city,
an iron column, a bronze wall.
You will be able to stand against everyone in the land,
against the kings of the land of Judah,
the leaders of Judah, the priests of Judah,
and against the people of the land of Judah.
19 All those people will fight against you,
but they will not defeat you,
because I am with you,
and I will save you.”
This message is from the Lord .
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were 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.
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.
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith 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.
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 throw down, to build, 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.
12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
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 toward the north.
14 Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth 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 entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other 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 their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen 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.
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.
1 The words of ( A ) Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in ( B ) Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of ( C ) Josiah the son of ( D ) Amon, king of Judah, in the ( E ) thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of ( F ) Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of ( G ) Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I ( H ) formed you in the womb I knew you,
And ( I ) before you were born I consecrated you;
I have ( J ) appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then ( K ) I said, “Oh, Lord [ a ] God !
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because ( L ) I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
( M ) Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And ( N ) all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 ( O ) Do not be afraid of them,
For ( P ) I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord .
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and ( Q ) touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have ( R ) put My words in your mouth.
10 See, ( S ) I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
( T ) To root out and to tear down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
( U ) To build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see, ( V ) Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a branch of an [ b ] almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for ( W ) I am [ c ] watching over My word to perform it.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “ ( X ) What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling ( Y ) pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “ ( Z ) Out of the north the evil [ d ] will be unleashed on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I am calling ( AA ) all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord ; “and they will come and ( AB ) place, each one of them , his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the ( AC ) cities of Judah. 16 And I will [ e ] pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have ( AD ) abandoned Me and have [ f ] ( AE ) offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the ( AF ) works of their own hands. 17 Now, ( AG ) belt your garment around your waist and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. ( AH ) Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them. 18 Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for ( AI ) I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord .
1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth ( A ) in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came ( B ) to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah ( C ) son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim ( D ) son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah ( E ) son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile. ( F )
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb ( G ) I knew [ a ] ( H ) you,
before you were born ( I ) I set you apart; ( J )
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ( K ) ”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord ,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; ( L ) I am too young.” ( M )
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid ( N ) of them, for I am with you ( O ) and will rescue ( P ) you,” declares the Lord . ( Q )
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched ( R ) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. ( S ) 10 See, today I appoint you over nations ( T ) and kingdoms to uproot ( U ) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” ( V )
11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” ( W )
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching [ b ] ( X ) to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?” ( Y )
“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”
14 The Lord said to me, “From the north ( Z ) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord .
“Their kings will come and set up their thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah. ( AA )
16 I will pronounce my judgments ( AB ) on my people
because of their wickedness ( AC ) in forsaking me, ( AD )
in burning incense to other gods ( AE )
and in worshiping ( AF ) what their hands have made. ( AG )
17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say ( AH ) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified ( AI ) by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you ( AJ ) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome ( AK ) you, for I am with you ( AL ) and will rescue ( AM ) you,” declares the Lord .
