The Book of
Jeremiah
1
1 The
words of Jeremiah
the son of
Hilkiah, one of
the priests who
were in Anathoth
in the land of
Benjamin.
2 The
LORD’s
word came to
him 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, to
the end of
the eleventh year
of Zedekiah, the
son of Josiah,
king of Judah,
to the carrying
away of Jerusalem
captive in the
fifth month.
4 Now
the LORD’s word
came to me,
saying,
5 “Before
I formed you
in the womb,
I knew you.
Before you were
born, I sanctified
you.
I have appointed
you a prophet
to the nations.”
6 Then
I said, “Ah, Lord
GOD! Behold,
I don’t know how
to speak; for
I am a child.”
7 But
the LORD said
to me, “Don’t say,
‘I am a
child;’ for
you must go to
whomever I send
you, and you must
say whatever I
command you.
8 Don’t be
afraid because of
them, for I
am with you
to rescue you,”
says the LORD.
9 Then
the LORD stretched
out his hand
and touched my
mouth. Then the
LORD said to
me, “Behold, I
have put my
words in your
mouth.
10 Behold,
I have today
set you over
the nations and
over the kingdoms,
to uproot and
to tear down,
to destroy and
to overthrow, to
build and to
plant.”
11 Moreover
the LORD’s word
came to me,
saying, “Jeremiah,
what do you
see?”
I said, “I
see a branch of
an almond tree.”
12 Then
the LORD said
to me, “You
have seen well;
for I watch
over my word
to perform it.”
13 The
LORD’s word came
to me the
second time,
saying, “What do
you see?”
I said, “I
see a
boiling cauldron; and
it is tipping away
from the north.”
14 Then
the LORD said to
me, “Out of
the north, evil
will break out
on all the
inhabitants of
the land.
15 For
behold, I will
call all the
families of the
kingdoms of the
north,” says the
LORD.
“They will come,
and they will
each set his
throne at the
entrance of the
gates of Jerusalem,
and against all
its walls all
around, and
against all the
cities of Judah.
16 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 “You
therefore put your belt
on your waist,
arise, and say
to them all
that I command
you. Don’t be
dismayed at them,
lest I dismay
you before them.
18 For
behold, I have
made you today
a fortified city,
an iron pillar,
and bronze walls
against the
whole land—against
the kings of
Judah, against its
princes, against
its priests, and
against the people
of the land.
19 They
will fight against
you, but they
will not prevail
against you; for
I am with
you”, says the
LORD, “to rescue
you.”