Jeremiah 1
1
1My name is Jeremiah. I am a priest, and my father Hilkiah and everyone else in my family are from Anathoth in the territory of the Benjamin tribe. This book contains the things that the Lord told me to say. 2#2 K 22.3—23.27; 2 Ch 34.8—35.19. The Lord first spoke to me in the thirteenth year that Josiah#1.2 Josiah: Ruled 640–609 b.c. was king of Judah, 3#2 K 23.36—24.7; 2 Ch 36.5-8; 2 K 24.18—25.21; 2 Ch 36.11-21. and he continued to speak to me during the rule of Josiah's son Jehoiakim.#1.3 Jehoiakim: Ruled 609–598 b.c. The last time the Lord spoke to me was in the fifth month#1.3 fifth month: Ab, the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-July to mid-August. of the eleventh year that Josiah's son Zedekiah#1.3 Zedekiah: Ruled 598–586 b.c. was king. That was also when the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners.
The Lord Chooses Jeremiah
4The Lord said:
5“Jeremiah, I am your Creator,
and before you were born,
I chose you to speak for me
to the nations.”
6I replied, “I'm not a good speaker, Lord, and I'm too young.”
7“Don't say you're too young,” the Lord answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don't leave out a word! 8I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don't be afraid.”
9The Lord reached out his hand, then he touched my mouth and said, “I am giving you the words to say, 10and I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again.”
11The Lord showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I answered, “A branch of almonds that ripen early.”
12“That's right,” the Lord replied, “and I always rise early#1.11,12 almonds … rise early: In Hebrew “almonds that ripen early” sounds like “always rise early.” to keep a promise.”
13Then the Lord showed me something else and asked, “What do you see now?”
I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water in the north, and it's about to spill out toward us.”
14The Lord said:
I will pour out destruction
all over the land.
15Just watch while I send
for the kings of the north.
They will attack and capture
Jerusalem and other towns,
then set up their thrones
at the gates of Jerusalem.
16I will punish my people,
because they are guilty
of turning from me
to worship idols.
17Jeremiah, get ready!
Go and tell the people
what I command you to say.
Don't be frightened by them,
or I will make you terrified
while they watch.
18My power will make you strong
like a fortress
or a column of iron
or a wall of bronze.
You will oppose all of Judah,
including its kings and leaders,
its priests and people.
19They will fight back,
but they won't win.
I, the Lord, give my word—
I won't let them harm you.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 1
1
A Warning About Captivity
1These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah. He belonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth. That town is in the land that belongs to the tribe of Benjamin. 2The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This happened during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. 3The Lord also spoke to Jeremiah while Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. And the Lord spoke to Jeremiah during the 11 years and 5 months Zedekiah son of Josiah was king of Judah. After that, the people who lived in Jerusalem were taken away as captives out of their country.
God Calls Jeremiah
4The Lord spoke these words to me:
5“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.
Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”
7But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere that I send you. You must say everything I tell you to say. 8Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you. I will protect you,” says the Lord.
9Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth. 10Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”
Two Visions
11The Lord spoke this word to me: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered the Lord and said, “I see a stick of almond wood.”
12The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly! And I am watching to make sure my words come true.”
13The Lord spoke his word to me again: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered the Lord and said, “I see a pot of boiling water. It is tipping over from the north!”
14The Lord said to me, “Disaster will come from the north. It will happen to all the people who live in this country. 15In a short time I will call all of the people in the northern kingdoms,” said the Lord.
“Those kings will come and set up their thrones
near the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.
They will attack the city walls around Jerusalem.
They will attack all the cities in Judah.
16And I will announce my judgments against my people.
I will do this because of their evil in turning away from me.
They offered sacrifices to other gods.
And they worshiped idols they had made with their own hands.
17“Jeremiah, get ready. Stand up and speak to the people. Tell them everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of the people. If you are afraid of them, I will give you good reason to be afraid of them. 18Today I am going to make you a strong city, an iron pillar, a bronze wall. You will be able to stand against everyone in the land: Judah’s kings, officers, priests and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you. But they will not defeat you. This is because I am with you, and I will save you!” says the Lord.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.