These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah. He belonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. ²The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. ³The Lord also spoke to Jeremiah while Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah and during the eleven years that Zedekiah son of Josiah was king of Judah. In the fifth month of his last year, the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.

The Lord Calls Jeremiah

⁴The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

⁵“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.

Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”

⁷But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say. ⁸Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you,” says the Lord.

⁹Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth. ¹⁰Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow, build up and plant.”

Jeremiah Sees Two Visions

¹¹The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”

I answered, “I see a stick of almond wood.”

¹²The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, because I am watching to make sure my words come true.”

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