Jeremiah 1

1The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one aof the priests who were in bAnathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of cJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in dthe thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of eJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and funtil the end of the eleventh year of gZedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, huntil the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

The Call of Jeremiah

4Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 iBefore I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born jI consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet kto the nations.”
6Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, lI do not know how to speak, mfor I am only a youth.” 7But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and nwhatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 oDo not be afraid of them,
pfor I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord.”
9 qThen the Lord put out his hand and rtouched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

Behold, I have put smy words in your mouth.
10See, I have set you this day tover nations and over kingdoms,
uto pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
11And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, vJeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond
 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12)
branch.”
12Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

13The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see xa boiling pot, facing away yfrom the north.” 14Then the Lord said to me, zOut of the north disaster
The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or  disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah
shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15For behold, abI am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, acand they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16And adI will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil aein forsaking me. afThey have made offerings to other gods and agworshiped the works of their own hands. 17But you, ahdress yourself for work;
Hebrew gird up your loins
arise, and ajsay to them everything that I command you. akDo not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.
18And I, behold, I make you this day ala fortified city, aman iron pillar, and anbronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 aoThey will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for apI am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

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