Jeremiah
1 1 In what time Jeremiah prophesied. 6 He acknowledgeth his imperfection, and is strengthened of the Lord. 11 The Lord showeth him the destruction of Jerusalem. 17 He commandeth him to preach his word without fear.
1 The [a]words of Jeremiah the son of [b]Hilkiah one of the Priests that were at [c]Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
2 To whom the [d]word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon King of Judah in the thirteenth year of his reign:
3 And also in the days of Jehoiakim the [e]son of Josiah king of Judah unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah king of Judah, even unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth [f]month.
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I [g]formed thee in the womb, I knew thee, and before thou camest out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and ordained thee to be a Prophet unto the [h]nations.
6 Then said I, [i]Oh, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.
7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, shalt thou speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched out his hand, and [j]touched my mouth, and the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 Behold, this day have I set thee over the [k]nations, and over the kingdoms, to pluck up, and to root out, and to destroy, and throw down, to build, and to plant.
11 After this the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a [l]rod of almond tree.
12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast seen aright: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
13 Again the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething [m]pot looking out of the North.
14 Then said the Lord unto me, Out of the [n]North shall a plague be spread upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the North, saith the Lord, and they shall come, and everyone shall set his throne in the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and on all the walls thereof round about, and in all the cities of Judah.
16 And I will declare unto them my [o]judgments touching all the wickedness of them that have forsaken me, and have burnt incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
17 Thou therefore truss up thy loins, and arise and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not afraid of their faces, lest I [p]destroy thee before them.
18 For I, behold, I this day have made thee a defenced city, and an [q]iron pillar and walls of brass against the whole land, against the Kings of Judah, and against the Princes thereof, against the Priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19 For they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:1 That is, the sermons and prophecies.
- Jeremiah 1:1 Which is thought to be he that found the book of the Law under king Josiah, 2 Kings 22:8.
- Jeremiah 1:1 This was a city about three miles distant from Jerusalem, and belonged to the Priests, the sons of Aaron, Josh. 21:18.
- Jeremiah 1:2 This is spoken to confirm his vocation and office, forasmuch as he did not presume of himself to preach and prophesy, but was called thereunto by God.
- Jeremiah 1:3 Meaning, the nephew of Josiah: for Jehoahaz was his father, who reigned but three months, and therefore is not mentioned, no more is Jehoiakim that reigned no longer.
- Jeremiah 1:3 Of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, who was also called Mattaniah, and at this time the Jews were carried away into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
- Jeremiah 1:5 The scripture useth this manner of speech, to declare that God hath appointed his minsters to their offices before they were born, as Isa. 49:1; Gal. 1:15.
- Jeremiah 1:5 For Jeremiah did not only prophesy against the Jews, but also against the Egyptians, Babylonians, Moabites, and other nations.
- Jeremiah 1:6 Considering the great judgments of God, which according to his threatening should come upon the world, he was moved with a certain compassion on the one side to pity them that should thus perish, and on the other side by the infirmity of man’s nature, knowing how hard a thing it was to enterprise such a charge, as Isa. 6:11; Exod. 3:21 and 4:1.
- Jeremiah 1:9 Which declareth that God maketh them meet, and assureth them, whom he calleth to set forth his glory: giving them all means necessary for the same, Exod. 4:12; Isa. 6:7.
- Jeremiah 1:10 He showeth what is the authority of God’s true ministers, which by his word have power to bear down whatsoever lifteth itself up against God: and to plant and assure the humble, and such as give themselves to the obedience of God’s word, 2 Cor. 10:4, 5; Heb. 4:12, and these are the keys which Christ hath left to loose, and bind, Matt. 18:18.
- Jeremiah 1:11 He joineth the sign with the word, for a more ample confirmation: signifying by the rod of the Almond tree, which first buddeth, the hasty coming of the Babylonians against the Jews.
- Jeremiah 1:13 Signifying, that the Chaldeans and Assyrians should be as a pot to seethe the Jews which boiled in their pleasures and lust.
- Jeremiah 1:14 Syria and Assyria were Northward in respect of Jerusalem, which were the Chaldeans’ dominion.
- Jeremiah 1:16 I will give them charge and power to execute my vengeance against the Idolaters which have forsaken me for their idols.
- Jeremiah 1:17 Which declareth that God’s vengeance is prepared against them, which dare not execute their duty faithfully, either for fear of man, or for any other cause, 1 Cor. 9:16.
- Jeremiah 1:18 Signifying, on the one part, that the more that Satan and the world rage against God’s Ministers, the more present will he be to help them, Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5, and on the other part, that they are utterly unmeet to serve God in his Church, which are afraid, and do not resist wickedness, whatsoever danger depend thereon, Isa. 50:7; Ezek. 3:8.