Jeremiah 1

1The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin, 2to whom the word of the LORD came during the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign, 3and it came during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, the year Jerusalem went into exile, in the fifth month.

4The word of the LORD came to me: 5“I knew you before I shaped you in the womb; I set you apart before you came out of the womb; I have given you to the nations as a prophet.” 6I said, “Oh, Lord GOD! I do not know how to speak; I am a mere youth.”

7But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a mere youth.’ To all the people I send you to, you will go; every word I command you, you will speak. 8Have no fear of them, for I am with you to rescue you, declares the LORD.” 9The LORD then stretched out his hand and laid it on my mouth, and the LORD said to me, “There: I have placed my words in your mouth. 10See, on this day I have set you over nations and over kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”

11The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “I see a rod cut from an almond tree.” 12The LORD said to me, “You have seen rightly, for I am keeping watch over my word until I carry it out.”

13The word of the LORD came to me a second time: “What do you see?” I said, “I see a pot fanned to a boil, its mouth tilted from the north toward the south.” 14Then the LORD said to me, “From the north, disaster will burst out upon everyone who lives in the land. 15For I am about to summon all the clans of the northern kingdoms, declares the LORD. They will come, and each of them will set up his throne at the entrance of Jerusalem’s gates, against all its surrounding walls, and against all the towns of Judah. 16I will pronounce my sentence on them for all their wickedness, because they have abandoned me, burned offerings to other gods, and bowed down to what their own hands have made. 17As for you, tuck your robe into your belt, get up, and tell them everything I command you. Do not be shattered by them, or I will shatter you in front of them. 18And I, for my part, have made you today a walled city, a pillar of iron, and walls of bronze, set against the whole land: against Judah’s kings and officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19They will make war on you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to rescue you.”