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Prophecies in the Days of Josiah[a]

Chapter 1

The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, a member of the priestly family in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him during the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah. 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. The word of the Lord came to me, saying:

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.

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.” 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.
Do not be afraid of them,
    for I am with you to deliver you,
    says the Lord.

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

I. Oracles in the Days of Josiah

Chapter 1

The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from Anathoth,[a] in the land of Benjamin. 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) 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

The word of the Lord came to me:
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)
“Ah, Lord God!” I said,
    “I do not know how to speak. I am too young!”[c]
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.
Do not be afraid of them,
    for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the Lord.

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. 1:1 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 1:13 Kettle…the north: symbol of an invasion from the north; cf. vv. 14–15.

Ovo je zapis poruka proroka Jeremije, Hilkijinog sina. Jeremija je bio član obitelji svećenika iz Anatota[a], grada na području Benjaminovog plemena.

BOG je počeo govoriti Jeremiji u trinaestoj godini vladavine judejskoga kralja Jošije,[b] Amonovog sina. Nastavio mu se obraćati tijekom vladavine judejskoga kralja Jojakima, Jošijinog sina, pa sve do trenutka kad je narod bio protjeran iz Jeruzalema i odveden u zatočeništvo. Dogodilo se to u petom mjesecu jedanaeste godine vladavine judejskoga kralja Sidkije, Jošijinog sina.

Bog poziva Jeremiju

Primio sam poruku od BOGA:

»Prije nego što sam te oblikovao
    u majčinoj utrobi, poznavao sam te.
Izabrao sam te i prije nego što si bio rođen.
    Postavio sam te za proroka narodima.«

»Ali, moj Gospodaru i BOŽE«, rekao sam, »ja ne znam govoriti pred drugima. Premlad sam.«

No BOG mi je rekao:

»Ne govori da si premlad
    jer morat ćeš ići svima kojima te šaljem
    i govoriti im sve što ti naredim da kažeš.
Ne boj se nikoga!
    Uz tebe sam i branit ću te.«
Tako mi je rekao BOG.

Zatim je BOG pružio ruku i dotaknuo mi usne. Rekao je:

»Evo, stavio sam svoje riječi u tvoja usta.
10 Danas ti dajem vlast
    u narodima i kraljevstvima
da čupaš i rušiš, razaraš i obaraš,
    te da potom gradiš i sadiš.«

Dvije proročke vizije

11 Čuo sam BOGA kako mi govori: »Što vidiš, Jeremijo?«

Odgovorio sam: »Vidim granu bademovog drveta.«

12 »Dobro vidiš«, rekao mi je BOG, »jer ja bdijem[c] nad svojom riječi, da je izvršim.«

13 Tada sam čuo BOGA i drugi put: »Što vidiš?«

Rekao sam: »Vidim lonac čiji se uzavreli sadržaj izlijeva sa sjevera.«

14 A BOG mi je tada rekao: »Sa sjevera će doći nesreća.
    Pogodit će sve ljude koji žive u ovoj zemlji.
15 Gledaj, sazivam sve narode sa sjevera«, rekao je BOG.

»Svi će doći i postaviti svoja prijestolja
    na ulaze grada Jeruzalema.
Navalit će na gradske zidine,
    napasti sve judejske gradove.
16 A ja ću objaviti presudu protiv svog naroda
    jer su zli i mene su napustili.
Drugim bogovima prinosili su žrtve,
    klanjali se kipovima koje su sami načinili.«

17 »A ti, ustani i spremi se!
    Stani pred narod i govori im,
    reci im sve što ti naredim.
I nemoj ih se bojati,
    ili ću ti dati razlog da ih se bojiš.
18 Danas sam te pretvorio u čvrst grad,
    u stup od željeza, u zid od bronce.
Dižeš se protiv cijele zemlje,
    na kraljeve Jude i narodne poglavare,
    na svećenike i narod cijele zemlje.
19 Svi će se oni protiv tebe boriti,
    ali neće te poraziti.
Jer, ja sam uz tebe i branim te«,
    rekao mi je BOG.

Footnotes

  1. 1,1 svećenici iz Anatota Ovi su svećenici vjerojatno pripadali obitelji svećenika Abjatara, koji je bio vrhovni svećenik u vrijeme kralja Davida. Kralj Salomon poslao ga je u Anatot. Vidi 1 Kr 2,26.
  2. 1,2 trinaesta godina Jošijine vladavine To je 627. godina pr. Kr.
  3. 1,12 bdijem Hebrejska riječ za »bdjeti« slična je riječi za »bademovo drvo«. To je zato što su ljudi promatrali cvat bademovog drveta kao rani znak proljeća.