Jer 1 | ESV | STEP | The words of Jeremiah , the son of Hilkiah , one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin ,

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one ^aof the priests who were in ^bAnathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to 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. 3 It 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

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

5 ⁱ“Before 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.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, ^lI do not know how to speak, ^mfor 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 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.
10 See, 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.”

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^v“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond ^{▼▼ 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 ^xa boiling pot, facing away ^yfrom the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, ^z“Out 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. 15 For 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. 16 And ^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. 17 But 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. 18 And 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.”