11 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah , of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin , 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon , king of Judah , in the thirteenth e year of his reign . 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah , king of Judah , until the end of the eleventh e year of Zedekiah 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 formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born e I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations ." 6 Then I said , "Alas , Lord [1]GOD ! Behold , I do not know how to speak , Because I am a youth ." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say , 'I am a youth ,' Because everywhere e e I send you, you shall go , And all that I command you, you shall speak . 8 " Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord . 9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth , and the Lord said to me, "Behold , I have put My words in your mouth . 10 "See , I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms , To pluck up and to break down , To destroy and to overthrow , To build and to plant ."
11 The word of the Lord came to me saying , "What do you see , Jeremiah ?" And I said , "I see a rod of an [2]almond tree ." 12 Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well , for I am [3]watching over My word to perform it." 13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying , " What do you see ?" And I said , "I see a boiling pot , facing away from the north ." 14 Then the Lord said to me, " Out of the north the evil [4]will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land . 15 "For, behold , I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north ," declares the Lord ; "and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem , and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah . 16 "I will [5]pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness , whereby they have forsaken Me and have [6] offered sacrifices to other gods , and worshiped the works of their own hands . 17 "Now, gird up your loins and arise , and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before e 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 I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord .
