1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one Ezek. 1:3of the priests who were in ch. 29:27;32:7;Josh. 21:18Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of See 2 Kgs. 22;23:1-30Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in ch. 25:3;36:2the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of ch. 25:1;36:1;See 2 Kgs. 23:34–24:6Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and ch. 39:2until the end of the eleventh year of See 2 Kgs. 24:17–25:7Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, See 2 Kgs. 25:8-11until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
The Call of Jeremiah
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 See Isa. 44:2"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born [John 10:36] I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet [Isa. 49:6]; See ch. 25:15-29; ch. 46–51to the nations."
6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, [Ex. 4:10] I do not know how to speak, [1 Kgs. 3:7]for I am only a youth." 7 But 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 ver. 17;Ezek. 2:7whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Ezek. 2:6;3:9Do not be afraid of them,
ch. 15:20;See Ex. 3:12for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord."
9 [Ezek. 2:9] Then the Lord put out his hand and [Isa. 6:7] touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
"Behold, I have put ch. 5:14my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day [See ver. 5above] over nations and over kingdoms,
ch. 18:7;31:28;45:4;[2 Cor. 10:4,5]to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant."
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, [Amos 7:8]"Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see an almond1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) branch." 12 Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see Ezek. 24:3;[Ezek. 22:21] a boiling pot, facing away ch. 4:6;6:1;10:22from the north." 14 Then the Lord said to me, [See ver. 13above]"Out of the north disaster1:14 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. 15 For behold, [ch. 25:9] I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, [ch. 39:3;43:10]and 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. 16 And ch. 4:12I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil ch. 19:4;22:9in forsaking me. ch. 7:9;44:3They have made offerings to other gods and ch. 25:6,7;Isa. 2:8;Acts 7:41worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, [1 Kgs. 18:46;1 Pet. 1:13] dress yourself for work;1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins arise, and ver. 7say to them everything that I command you. ver. 8;Ezek. 3:9Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day [Isa. 50:7] a fortified city, Rev. 3:12an iron pillar, and ch. 15:20;[ch. 6:27]bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 [See ver. 18above] They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for ver. 8;[Acts 18:9,10]I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you."