These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. ²The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. ³The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.

Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions

⁴The Lord gave me this message:

⁵“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

Before you were born I set you apart

and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

⁶“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

⁷The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” ⁹Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!

¹⁰Today I appoint you to stand up

against nations and kingdoms.

Some you must uproot and tear down,

destroy and overthrow.

Others you must build up

and plant.”

¹¹Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

¹²And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”

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