1 The words of aJeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in bAnathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of aJosiah the son of bAmon, king of Judah, in the cthirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of aJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of bZedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month. 4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 "Before I aformed you in the womb I knew you, And bbefore you were born I consecrated you; I have cappointed you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then aI said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because bI am a youth." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' aBecause everywhere I send you, you shall go, And ball that I command you, you shall speak. 8 "aDo not be afraid of them, For bI am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord. 9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and atouched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, "Behold, I have bput My words in your mouth. 10 "See, aI have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, bTo pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, cTo build and to plant." 11 The word of the Lord came to me saying, "What do you see, aJeremiah?" And I said, "I see a rod of an almond tree." 12 Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for aI am watching over My word to perform it." 13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, "aWhat do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling bpot, facing away from the north." 14 Then the Lord said to me, "aOut of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 "For, behold, I am calling aall the families of the kingdoms of the north," declares the Lord; "and they will come and they will bset each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the ccities of Judah. 16 "I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have aforsaken Me and have boffered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the cworks of their own hands. 17 "Now, agird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. bDo not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. 18 "Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. 19 "They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for aI am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord.