The Call of Jeremiah

1The wordes of Ieremiah the sonne of Hilkiah one of the Priests that were at Anathoth in the lande of Beniamin. 2To whom the worde of the Lorde came in the dayes of Iosiah the sonne of Amon King of Iudah in the thirteenth yeere of his reigne: 3And also in the dayes of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah vnto the ende of the eleuenth yeere of Zedekiah, the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, euen vnto the carying away of Ierusalem captiue in the fift moneth.

4Then the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying,

5Before I formed thee in the wombe, I knewe thee, and before thou camest out of the wombe, I sanctified thee, and ordeined thee to be a Prophet vnto the nations.

6Then said I, Oh, Lord God, behold, I can not speake, for I am a childe.

7But the Lord said vnto me, Say not, I am a childe: for thou shalt goe to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoeuer I command thee, shalt thou speake.

8Be not afraide of their faces: for I am with thee to deliuer thee, saith the Lord.

9Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said vnto me, Beholde, I haue put my wordes in thy mouth.

10Beholde, this day haue I set thee ouer the nations and ouer the kingdomes to plucke vp, and to roote out, and to destroye and throwe downe, to builde, and to plant.

11After this the worde of the Lord came vnto me, saying, Ieremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almonde tree. 12Then saide the Lorde vnto me, Thou hast seene aright: for I will hasten my worde to performe it.

13Againe the worde of the Lorde came vnto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I saide, I see a seething pot looking out of the North. 14Then saide the Lorde vnto me, Out of the North shall a plague be spred vpon all the inhabitants of the land. 15For loe, I will call all the families of the kingdomes of the North, saith the Lord, and they shall come, and euery one shall set his throne in the entring of the gates of Ierusalem, and on all the walles thereof rounde about, and in all the cities of Iudah. 16And I will declare vnto them my iudgements touching all the wickednesse of them that haue forsaken me, and haue burnt incense vnto other gods, and worshipped the workes of their owne handes. 17Thou therefore trusse vp thy loynes, and arise and speake vnto them all that I commaunde thee: be not afraide of their faces, lest I destroy thee before them. 18For I, beholde, I this day haue made thee a defenced citie, and an yron pillar and walles of brasse against the whole lande, against the Kings of Iudah, and against the princes thereof, against the Priestes thereof and against the people of the lande. 19For they shall fight against thee, but they shall not preuaile against thee: for I am with thee to deliuer thee, sayth the Lord.