Jeremiah 1
1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin;
2 The word of the Lord, which came to him in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign,
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 and which came to him in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, even until the completion of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, even until the transmigration of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
to whom it also came in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem into captivity in the fifth month.
4 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
The word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you went forth from the womb, I sanctified you. And I made you a prophet to the nations.”
Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before thou camest into the world, I chose thee; I appointed thee to be a prophet to the nations.
6 And I said: “Alas, alas, alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am a boy.”
Then said I, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! Behold, I am not able to speak; for I am a child.
7 And the Lord said to me: “Do not choose to say, ‘I am a boy.’ For you shall go forth to everyone to whom I will send you. And you shall speak all that I will command you.
But Jehovah said to me, Say not, I am a child; but go to whomever I send thee, and speak whatever I command thee!
8 You should not be afraid before their face. For I am with you, so that I may deliver you,” says the Lord.
Be not afraid of them! For I am with thee to help thee, saith Jehovah.
9 And the Lord put forth his hand, and he touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have placed my words in your mouth.
Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. Jehovah also said to me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 Behold, today I have appointed you over nations and over kingdoms, so that you may root up, and pull down, and destroy, and scatter, and so that you may build and plant.”
Behold, I have set thee this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to overthrow; and to build, and to plant.
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a staff, keeping watch.”
Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, I see a rod of almond-wood.
12 And the Lord said to me: “You have seen well. For I will keep watch over my word, so that I may accomplish it.”
And Jehovah said to me, Thou hast seen right; for I am watchful over my word to perform it.
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a cooking pot upon a fire, and its face is before the face of the north.”
And the word of Jehovah came to me a second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling pot, whose face is turned from the north.
14 And the Lord said to me: “From the north, an evil will spread over all the inhabitants of the earth.
And Jehovah said to me, From the north shall evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For behold, I will call together all the close associates of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord. And they will arrive, and each one of them will place his throne at the entrance to the gates of Jerusalem, and over all its surrounding walls, and over all the cities of Judah.
For, behold, I will call all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, saith Jehovah; and they shall come, and shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all her walls around, and against all the cities of Judah.
16 And I will speak my judgments with them, concerning all the wickedness of those who have forsaken me, and who have offered libations to strange gods, and who have adored the work of their own hands.
And I will pronounce my judgments against them for all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, and worshipped the work of their own hands.
17 Therefore, you should gird your waist, and rise up, and speak to them everything that I instruct you. You should not have dread before their face. For I will cause you to be unafraid of their countenance.
Thou, therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command thee; be not afraid of them, lest I confound thee before them.
18 For certainly, this day, I have made you like a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and a brass wall, over all the land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, and to the priests, and to the people of the land.
For, behold, I make thee this day a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass against all this land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19 And they will make war against you, but they will not prevail. For I am with you, says the Lord, so that I may free you.”
They shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I will be with thee, saith Jehovah, to help thee.
