Jeremiah 1:4–12

The Lord Chooses Jeremiah

⁴A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

⁵“Before I formed you in your mother’s body I chose you.

Before you were born I set you apart to serve me.

I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”

⁶“You are my Lord and King,” I said. “I don’t know how to speak. I’m only a child.”

⁷But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I’m only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to. You must say everything I command you to say. ⁸Do not be afraid of the people I send you to. I am with you. I will save you,” announces the Lord.

⁹Then the Lord reached out his hand. He touched my mouth and spoke to me. He said, “I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰Today I am appointing you to speak to nations and kingdoms. I want you to pull them up by the roots and tear them down. I want you to destroy them and crush them. But I also want you to build them up and plant them.”

¹¹A message came to me from the Lord. He asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“The branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

¹²The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly. I am watching to see that my word comes true.”