The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah

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- Chapter 1 -

This is the message of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, who wrote this. He was a priest, from the town of Anathoth in the area where the tribe of Benjamin lives.

Yahweh started to give him these messages when Josiah had been ruling Judah for almost thirteen years.

Yahweh continued to give him 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 the fifth month of that year that the people of Jerusalem were exiled to Babylonia.

One day Yahweh gave me this message,

“I knew you before I finished forming you in your mother’s womb. I set you apart for my honor before you were born, and I appointed you to be my prophet for all the nations.”

I replied, “O, Yahweh my God, do you not see that I am not qualified to speak for you? I am very young!”

Yahweh replied, “Do not say that you are too young, because you must go to everyone to whom I will send you, and you must tell them everything that I tell you to say.

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!”

Then it was as though Yahweh touched my mouth and said, “Listen to me! I have put my message into your mouth.

Today I am appointing you to warn nations and kingdoms. You will tell them that I will completely destroy and get rid of some of them and that I will establish others and cause them to be prosperous.”

Then Yahweh showed something to me, and said, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

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 Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “What do you see now?” I replied, “I see a pot full of boiling water. It is in the north, tipping toward me.”

Yahweh replied, “Yes! It means that from the north great trouble will spread over this land, like boiling water pouring from a pot.

Listen to what I say: I am summoning the armies of the kingdoms that are north of Judah to come 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.

I will punish my people because of all the evil things that they have done; they have abandoned me and they offer offerings of worship to false gods. They worship idols that they have made with their own hands!

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 punish you as an example right in front of them!

But listen! I will cause you to be strong, like a city that has strong walls around it. You will be as strong as an iron pillar or a bronze wall. Even the royal officials, the priests, and the general populace will not be able to defeat you.

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!”

The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.

The LORD’s(a) word came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

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.

Now the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“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.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord

(b)

GOD! Behold,(c) I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.”

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.

Don’t be afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you,” says the LORD.

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.

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.”

Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”

Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well; for I watch over my word to perform it.”

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.”

Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north, evil will break out on all the inhabitants of the land.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you”, says the LORD, “to rescue you.”

Footnotes

(a)1:2 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name.

(b)1:6 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”

(c)1:6 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.