“1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that
[were] in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 To whom the word of the
LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the
thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim
the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of
Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of
Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.”
“4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed
thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the
womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am]
a child. 7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I [am] a child: for thou
shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee
thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I [am] with thee
to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and
touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words
in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over
the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to
throw down, to build, and to plant.”
“11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what
seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. 12 Then said the
LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform
it. 13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof
[is] toward the north. 14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north
an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For,
lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the
LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at
the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls
thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will
utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have
forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the
works of their own hands. 17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and
arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at
their faces, lest I confound thee before them. 18 For, behold, I have
made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls
against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes
thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the
land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail
against thee; for I [am] with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.”
(Jeremiah 1:1-19 AV)