Jeremiah 1

¹ The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of a priestly family living at Anathoth[*a] in the territory of Benjamin.

² The word of Yahweh was addressed to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign;[*b]

³ then in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the deportation of Jerusalem which occurred in the fifth month.[*c]

⁴ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me, saying,

⁵ ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations’.

⁶ I said, ‘Ah, Lord Yahweh; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!’

⁷ But Yahweh replied, ‘Do not say, “I am a child”. Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you.

⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you – it is Yahweh who speaks!’

⁹ Then Yahweh put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: ‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.

¹⁰ Look, today I am setting you over nations and over kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’

¹¹ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me asking, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ ‘I see a branch of the Watchful Tree'[*d] I answered.

¹² Then Yahweh said, ‘Well seen! I too watch over my word to see it fulfilled.’

¹³ A second time the word of Yahweh was spoken to me, asking, ‘What do you see?’ ‘I see a cooking pot on the boil,’ I answered ‘with its contents tilting from the North.’

¹⁴ Then Yahweh said: ‘The North is where disaster is boiling over for all who live in this land;

¹⁵ since I am now going to summon all the kingdoms of the North – it is Yahweh who speaks. They are going to come, and each will set his throne in front of the gates of Jerusalem, all round outside its walls, and outside all the towns of Judah.

¹⁶ I am going to pronounce my judgements against them for all their wickedness; since they have abandoned me to offer incense to other gods and worship what their own hands have made.

¹⁷ ‘So now brace yourself for action. Stand up and tell them all I command you. Do not be dismayed at their presence, or in their presence I will make you dismayed.

¹⁸ I, for my part, today will make you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze to confront all this land: the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests and the country people.

¹⁹ They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you – it is Yahweh who speaks.’