Jeremiah 1:1-9 ▼

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, [one] of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

2 to whom the word of the LORD came during the thirteenth year (627 B.C.) of the reign of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

3 It came [to Jeremiah] also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, [continuing] until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, [and continuing] until the exile of [the people of] Jerusalem in the fifth month (July-August, 586 B.C.).

4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, For I am [only] a young man.”

7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am [only] a young man,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

8 “Do not be afraid of them [or their hostile faces], For I am with you [always] to protect you and deliver you,” says the LORD.

9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, “Behold (hear Me), I have put My words in your mouth.