Jeremiah 1
New Catholic Bible
Prophecies in the Days of Josiah[a]
Chapter 1
1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, a member of the priestly family in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came to him during the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah. 3 Then it continued through the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, when in the fifth month the inhabitants of Jerusalem were carried off into exile.
Jeremiah’s Call from God. 4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you.
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
6 Then I replied, “Ah, Lord God! You must be aware that I am not skilled in the art of speaking. I am only a young boy.” 7 But the Lord said:
Do not say, “I am only a young boy.”
You will go to whomever I send you,
and you will speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched my mouth, and he said to me:
Behold, I have placed my words into your mouth.
10 This day I have established you
over nations and kingdoms,
to uproot and to pull down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
11 [b]The word of the Lord came to me, inquiring, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have answered well, for I am watching to ensure that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, asking, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a boiling cauldron that is tilting away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said:
From the north disaster will boil over
upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For now I am summoning all the tribes
of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord.
Their kings will advance,
and each will establish his throne
in front of the gates of Jerusalem,
against all its surrounding walls
and against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will issue my judgments against them
for all their wickedness in abandoning me,
in offering sacrifices to other gods
and worshiping what their hands have fashioned.
17 As for you, be prepared for action;
stand up and tell them
everything that I command you.
Do not have any fear of them
or I will make you cringe in terror before them.
18 For this very day
I have made you into a fortified city,
a pillar of iron, a wall of bronze,
to overcome the entire country—
the kings and the princes of Judah,
its priests and its people.
19 They will fight against you
but they will not be victorious,
for I will be at your side to deliver you,
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:1 This lengthy section, which occupies half of the Book and begins with the call of Jeremiah, contains mainly prophecies addressed to the kingdom of Judah. They occur throughout the career of the prophet, although it is not possible to show a clear reductional plan.
- Jeremiah 1:11 In Hebrew, the word for almond tree means “watchful.” Because of its early blooming, the tree seems, as it were, to be waiting for spring in order to proclaim its presence. The boiling cauldron of verse 13 refers to misfortune, which, for Palestine, usually came from the north. Hard trials await Jeremiah (v. 17ff), but God will be with him.
Jeremiah 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. Oracles in the Days of Josiah
Chapter 1
1 The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from Anathoth,[a] in the land of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came to him in the days of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign,(A) 3 and again in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah—down to the exile of Jerusalem, in the fifth month.(B)
Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me:
5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.[b](C)
6 “Ah, Lord God!” I said,
“I do not know how to speak. I am too young!”[c]
7 But the Lord answered me,
Do not say, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the Lord.
9 Then the Lord extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying to me,
See, I place my words in your mouth!(D)
10 Today I appoint you
over nations and over kingdoms,
To uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
11 The word of the Lord came to me: What do you see, Jeremiah? “I see a branch of the almond tree,”[d] I replied. 12 Then the Lord said to me: You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to carry it out. 13 (E)A second time the word of the Lord came to me: What do you see? I replied, “I see a boiling kettle whose mouth is tipped away from the north.”[e]
14 The Lord said to me, And from the north evil will pour out over all who dwell in the land.(F)
15 Look, I am summoning
all the kingdoms of the north—oracle of the Lord—
Each king shall come and set up his throne
in the gateways of Jerusalem,
Against all its surrounding walls
and against all the cities of Judah.(G)
16 I will pronounce my sentence against them
for all their wickedness in forsaking me,
In burning incense to other gods,
in bowing down to the works of their hands.(H)
17 But you, prepare yourself;
stand up and tell them
all that I command you.
Do not be terrified on account of them,
or I will terrify you before them;
18 For I am the one who today
makes you a fortified city,
A pillar of iron, a wall of bronze,
against the whole land:
Against Judah’s kings and princes,
its priests and the people of the land.(I)
19 They will fight against you, but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1:1 Anathoth: a village about three miles northeast of Jerusalem, to which Solomon had exiled Abiathar the priest (1 Kgs 2:26–27); it is likely that Jeremiah belonged to that priestly family.
- 1:5 Jeremiah was destined to become a prophet before his birth; cf. Is 49:1, 5; Lk 1:15; Gal 1:15–16. I knew you: I loved you and chose you. I dedicated you: I set you apart to be a prophet. The nations: the neighbors of Judah, along with Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt.
- 1:6 I am too young: like Moses (Ex 3:11, 13; 4:10), Jeremiah at first resists God’s call. This narrative is perhaps patterned after the story of Moses’ call in order to identify Jeremiah as the prophet “like me” in Dt 18:15.
- 1:11 There is wordplay between the Hebrew noun shaqed, “almond tree,” and the Hebrew verb shoqed, “watcher/watching.” Because the almond tree begins to bloom in late winter in Palestine, it is called “the watcher” for the coming of spring. God is also “watcher,” observing the fulfillment of the prophetic word.
- 1:13 Kettle…the north: symbol of an invasion from the north; cf. vv. 14–15.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.