Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, [one] of the priests who were inAnathoth in the land of Benjamin,
2 to whom the word of the Lordcame during the thirteenth year (627b.c.) of the reign of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
3 It came [to Jeremiah] also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, [continuing] until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, [and continuing] until the exile of [the people of] Jerusalem in the fifth month (July-August, 586b.c.).
4 Now the word of the Lordcame to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument],
And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own];
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
For I am [only] a young man.”
7 But the Lordsaid to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am [only] a young man,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 “Do not be afraid of them [or their hostile faces],
For I am with you [always] to protect youanddeliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lordstretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lordsaid to me,
“Behold (hear Me), I have put My words in your mouth.
10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To uproot and break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”
The Almond Branch and Boiling Pot
11 The word of the Lordcame to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see the branch of analmond tree.”
12 Then the Lordsaid to me, “You have seen well, for I am [actively] watching over My word to fulfill it.”
13 The word of the Lordcame to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north [its mouth about to pour out on the south, on Judea].”
14 Then the Lordsaid to me, “Out of the north the evil [which the prophets foretold as the result of national sin] will reveal itselfandspill out on all the people of the land.
15 For, behold, I will call all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord; “and they will come and each one will set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its surrounding walls, and against all the cities of Judah [as My judicial act, the consequence of Judah’s deliberate disobedience].
16 I will speak My judgments against them for all the wickedness of those who have abandoned (rejected) Me, offered sacrificesorburned incense to other gods, and worshiped the [idolatrous] works of their own hands.
17 But you [Jeremiah],gird up your loins [in preparation]! Get up and tell them all which I command you. Do not be distraughtandbreak down at the sight of their [hostile] faces, or I will bewilder you before themandallow you to be overcome.
18 Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like an iron pillar and like bronze walls against the whole land–against the [successive] kings of Judah, against its leaders, against its priests, and against the people of the land [giving you divine strength which no hostile power can overcome].
19 They will fight against you, but they will not [ultimately] prevail over you, for I am with you [always] to protect youanddeliver you,” says the Lord.