Jeremiah

The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

1These are the words of Jeremiah. His father was Hilkiah. Jeremiah was one of the priests, the men who served God, in the town of Anathoth. Anathoth was in the land of Benjamin.

2To 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.

2The LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah. This happened when Josiah was king of Judah. Josiah's father was Amon. It was the thirteenth year that Josiah had been king.

3It 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.

3God kept speaking to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was king of Judah. God spoke to him until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, another son of Josiah. In the fifth month of that year, the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners.

4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

4Then the LORD spoke his word to me. He said:

5Before 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.

5"Before I made you inside your mother, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for myself. I chose you to be a prophet, someone who tells people what God says, for all the nations."

6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

6Then I said, "Oh, Lord GOD! I do not know how to speak. I am only a child."

7But 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.

7But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to. You must say everything I tell you to say."

8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

8"Do not be afraid of them. I am with you, and I will keep you safe," says the LORD.

9Then 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.

9Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth. The LORD said to me, "Look. I have put my words in your mouth."

10See, 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.

10"See, today I have put you over nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down. You will wreck and knock over. You will also build and plant."

11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

11The LORD spoke his word to me again. He asked, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I said, "I see a branch from an almond tree."

12Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

12Then the LORD said to me, "You saw that right. I am watching over my word to make it happen."

NoteIn Hebrew, the word for "almond tree" sounds almost the same as the word for "watching." So the picture of the almond branch matches God's answer about watching over his word.

13And 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.

13The LORD spoke his word to me a second time. He asked, "What do you see?" I said, "I see a pot of boiling water. It is tipping toward us from the north."

14Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

14Then the LORD said to me, "Trouble will come from the north. It will pour out on everyone who lives in this land."

15For, 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.

15"Listen. I am going to call all the families and kingdoms of the north," says the LORD. "They will come. Each king will set up his seat at the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack the walls all around the city. They will attack all the other towns of Judah."

16And 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.

16"I will tell the people how I judge them for all the wrong they did. They walked away from me. They burned incense, a sweet-smelling smoke, to other gods. They bowed down to things they made with their own hands."

17Thou 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.

17"So get yourself ready. Stand up. Tell them everything I command you. Do not let them scare you. If you do, I will make you afraid in front of them."

NoteThe KJV says "gird up thy loins." In those days people tied up their long robes before hard work or a long walk. It simply means "get ready to work."

18For, 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.

18"Look. Today I have made you strong, like a city with thick walls. You are like a post made of iron and walls made of bronze. You will stand against the whole land. That means the kings of Judah, its leaders, its priests, and its people."

NoteThe KJV word "brasen" means made of bronze, a strong metal. It does not mean the modern word "brazen."

19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

19"They will fight against you. But they will not beat you. I am with you, and I will keep you safe," says the LORD.