| King James Bible | NET Bible |
| 1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: | 1The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied. He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe 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 began to speak to him in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah. |
| 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. | 3The LORD also spoke to him when Jehoiakim son of Josiah ruled over Judah, and he continued to speak to him until the fifth month of the eleventh year that Zedekiah son of Josiah ruled over Judah. That was when the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile. |
| 4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, | 4The LORD said to me, |
| 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 formed you in your mother's womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations." |
| 6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. | 6I answered, "Oh, Lord GOD, I really do not know how to speak well enough for that, for I am too young." |
| 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. | 7The LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' But go to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. |
| 8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. | 8Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to protect you," 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 and said to me, "I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me. |
| 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. | 10Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted." |
| 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. | 11Later the LORD asked me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "I see a branch of 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, "You have observed correctly. This means I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out." |
| 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 again asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped 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, "This means destruction will break out from the north on all who live in the 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. | 15For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north," says the LORD. "They will come and their kings will set up their thrones near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding it, and all the towns in 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. | 16In this way I will pass sentence on the people of Jerusalem and Judah because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what 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"But you, Jeremiah, get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. |
| 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. | 18I, the LORD, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. |
| 19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. | 19They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you," says the LORD. |
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