Jeremiah 1:4-10 ▼

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.

10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To uproot and break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.”