Jeremiah Chapter 1

Conversational Yahveh Covenant

¹ The Words of Jeremiah Ben-Hilkiah

from the Priests at Anathoth in Benjamin

² Messages from Yahveh came to him in the thirteenth year of Josiah Ben-Amon, king of Judah. ³ They came as well during the reign of Jehoiakim Ben-Josiah, king of Judah, till the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah Ben-Josiah, king of Judah, till Jerusalem’s exile in the fifth month.

Jer 1:1-3

The Call of Jeremiah

⁴ A message from Yahveh came to me:  

            ⁵ “I knew you before I formed you in the womb;

                  I set you apart before you were born

                        and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

         ⁶I said,

            “Lord Yahveh!

            I don’t know how to speak for you;

            I’m too young.”

         ⁷But Yahveh told me,

            “Don’t say you’re too young;

                  you’ll go where I send you

                        and say what I tell you.

            ⁸ You don’t need to be afraid of them;

                  I’ll protect you.”

         ⁹ He reached out and touched my mouth,

            “I’ve put my message in you

            ¹⁰ and appointed you over nations and kingdoms

                  to pull up and tear down,

                  to overthrow and destroy,

                  to build and plant.”                                                         

Jer 1:4-10

¹¹ A message from Yahveh came to me:

            “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

            “An ‘almond’ branch.”

                  ¹²“Yes; I’m “watching,”

                  and I’ll certainly do what I say.”

         ¹³Anothere message came to me:

            “What do you see?”

            “A boiling pot facing this way from the north.”

Jer 1:11-13

         ¹⁴Then he said,

“Evil is going to pour out from the north onto the people in this country. ¹⁵ I’m calling the armies in the kingdoms up north. Each one will set a throne at Jerusalem’s gates, against its walls all round, against the towns in Judah. ¹⁶ I’ll render judgment on this nation for leaving me and sacrificing to other gods, for worshiping what they’ve made with their own hands. ¹⁷ Gird up your loins. Get up and tell them everything I’ve told you. Don’t let them intimidate you, or I’ll dishearten you in front of them. ¹⁸ Today, I’m making you like a fortified city today, like an iron pillar, like bronze walls against the whole land, Judah’s kings, officials, priests, and people. ¹⁹ They’ll fight you, but they won’t win, because I’m with you.”     

Jer 1:14-19