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 kover nations and over kingdoms,

tto 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, u“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.”