Jeremiah 1
1
Demolish, and Then Start Over
1-4The Message of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah of the family of priests who lived in Anathoth in the country of Benjamin. God’s Message began to come to him during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon reigned over Judah. It continued to come to him during the time Jehoiakim son of Josiah reigned over Judah. And it continued to come to him clear down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah over Judah, the year that Jerusalem was taken into exile. This is what God said:
5“Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
that’s what I had in mind for you.”
6But I said, “Hold it, Master God! Look at me.
I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”
7-8 God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a boy.’
I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.
I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it.
Don’t be afraid of a soul.
I’ll be right there, looking after you.”
God’s Decree.
9-10 God reached out, touched my mouth, and said,
“Look! I’ve just put my words in your mouth—hand-delivered!
See what I’ve done? I’ve given you a job to do
among nations and governments—a red-letter day!
Your job is to pull up and tear down,
take apart and demolish,
And then start over,
building and planting.”
Stand Up and Say Your Piece
11-12 God’s Message came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I said, “A walking stick—that’s all.”
And God said, “Good eyes! I’m sticking with you.
I’ll make every word I give you come true.”
13-15a God’s Message came again: “So what do you see now?”
I said, “I see a boiling pot, tipped down toward us.”
Then God told me, “Disaster will pour out of the north
on everyone living in this land.
Watch for this: I’m calling all the kings out of the north.”
God’s Decree.
15b-16 “They’ll come and set up headquarters
facing Jerusalem’s gates,
Facing all the city walls,
facing all the villages of Judah.
I’ll pronounce my judgment on the people of Judah
for walking out on me—what a terrible thing to do!—
And courting other gods with their offerings,
worshiping as gods sticks they’d carved, stones they’d painted.
17“But you—up on your feet and get dressed for work!
Stand up and say your piece. Say exactly what I tell you to say.
Don’t pull your punches
or I’ll pull you out of the lineup.
18-19“Stand at attention while I prepare you for your work.
I’m making you as impregnable as a castle,
Immovable as a steel post,
solid as a concrete block wall.
You’re a one-man defense system
against this culture,
Against Judah’s kings and princes,
against the priests and local leaders.
They’ll fight you, but they won’t
even scratch you.
I’ll back you up every inch of the way.”
God’s Decree.
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Jeremiah 1: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Jeremiah 1
1
1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were #Josh. 21:18; 1 Kin. 2:26; 1 Chr. 6:60; Is. 10:30; Jer. 29:27in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of #1 Kin. 13:2; 2 Kin. 21:24; 2 Chr. 34:1; Jer. 3:6; 36:2Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, #Jer. 25:3in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of #2 Kin. 23:34; 1 Chr. 3:15; 2 Chr. 36:5–8; Jer. 25:1Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, #2 Kin. 24:17; 1 Chr. 3:15; 2 Chr. 36:11–13; Jer. 39:2until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, #Jer. 52:12until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive #2 Kin. 25:8in the fifth month.
The Prophet Is Called
4Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5“Before I #Is. 49:1, 5formed you in the womb #Ex. 33:12I knew you;
Before you were born I #(Luke 1:15); Gal. 1:15sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6Then said I:
#Ex. 4:10; 6:12, 30“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7But the Lord said to me:
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And #Num. 22:20, 38; Jer. 1:17; Matt. 28:20whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8#Ezek. 2:6; 3:9Do not be afraid of their faces,
For #Ex. 3:12; Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:5; Jer. 15:20; Heb. 13:6I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9Then the Lord put forth His hand and #Is. 6:7; Mark 7:33–35touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:
“Behold, I have #Ex. 4:11–16; Deut. 18:18; Is. 51:16put My words in your mouth.
10#1 Kin. 19:17See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To #Jer. 18:7–10; Ezek. 22:18; (2 Cor. 10:4, 5)root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”
11Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
12Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
13And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”
And I said, “I see #Ezek. 11:3; 24:3a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
14Then the Lord said to me:
“Out of the #Jer. 6:1north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
15For behold, I am #Jer. 6:22; 25:9calling
All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord;
“They shall come and #Is. 22:7; Jer. 39:3each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
16I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because #Deut. 28:20; Jer. 17:13they have forsaken Me,
Burned #Is. 65:3, 4; Jer. 7:9incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own #Is. 37:19; Jer. 2:28hands.
17“Therefore #1 Kin. 18:46; 2 Kin. 4:29; Job 38:3; Luke 12:35; (1 Pet. 1:13)prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
#Ezek. 2:6Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
18For behold, I have made you this day
#Is. 50:7; Jer. 6:27; 15:20A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land.
19They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.