Jeremiah 1:1-9

New King James Version

Jeremiah Called to Be a Priest

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were ^(A)in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, ²to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of ^(B)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, ^(C)in the thirteenth year of his reign. ³It came also in the days of ^(D)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, ^(E)until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, ^(F)until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive ^(G)in the fifth month.

The Prophet Is Called

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁵“Before I ^(H)formed you in the womb ^(I)I knew you;
Before you were born I ^(J)sanctified^[a] you;
I ^[b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶Then said I:

^(K)“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

⁷But the Lord said to me:

“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And ^(L)whatever I command you, you shall speak.
⁸^(M)Do not be afraid of their faces,
For ^(N)I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.