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

The Prophet Is Called

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
⁵“Before I ⚓formed you in the womb ⚓I knew you;
Before you were born I ⚓sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
⁶Then said I:
⚓“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 ⚓whatever I command you, you shall speak.
⁸⚓Do not be afraid of their faces,
For ⚓I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
⁹Then the Lord put forth 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 this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To ⚓root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”
¹¹Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
¹²Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
¹³And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”
And I said, “I see ⚓a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
¹⁴Then the Lord said to me:
“Out of the ⚓north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
¹⁵For behold, I am ⚓calling
All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord;
“They shall come and ⚓each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
¹⁶I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because ⚓they have forsaken Me,
Burned ⚓incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own ⚓hands.
¹⁷“Therefore ⚓prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
⚓Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
¹⁸For behold, I have made you this day
⚓A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land.
¹⁹They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

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¹這些是便雅憫地亞拿突城的祭司，希勒家的兒子耶利米的話。 ²亞們的兒子猶大王約西亞在位第十三年，耶和華的話臨到耶利米。 ³從約西亞的兒子猶大王約雅敬在位的時候，直到約西亞的兒子猶大王西底家在位的末年，就是第十一年五月間耶路撒冷被擄時，耶和華的話也常臨到耶利米。

耶利米蒙選召

⁴耶利米說，耶和華的話臨到我，說：
⁵「我尚未將你造在母腹中，就已認識你；
你未出母胎，我已將你分別為聖，
派你作列國的先知。」
⁶我就說：「唉！主耶和華，看哪，我不知道怎麼說，因為我年輕。」 ⁷耶和華對我說：
「不要說『我年輕』，
因為我差遣你到誰那裏去，你都要去；
我吩咐你說甚麼話，你都要說。
⁸你不要怕他們，
因為我與你同在，要拯救你。
這是耶和華說的。」
⁹於是耶和華伸手按住我的口，
對我說：
「看哪，我已將我的話放在你口中。
¹⁰我今日立你在列邦列國之上，
為要拔出，拆毀，毀壞，傾覆，
又要建立，栽植。」

兩個異象

¹¹耶和華的話臨到我，說：「耶利米，你看見甚麼？」我說：「我看見一根杏樹枝。」 ¹²耶和華對我說：「你看得不錯；因為我要看守⚓我的話，使它實現。」
¹³耶和華的話第二次臨到我，說：「你看見甚麼？」我說：「我看見一個水燒開的鍋，從北而傾。」 ¹⁴耶和華對我說：「必有災禍從北方發出，臨到這地所有的居民。 ¹⁵看哪，我要召北方列國的萬族。這是耶和華說的。他們要來，各安寶座在耶路撒冷的城門口，周圍攻擊城牆，又要攻擊猶大的一切城鎮。 ¹⁶這民離棄我，向別神燒香，跪拜自己手所造的，我要針對這一切惡行，向他們宣讀我的判決。 ¹⁷所以你當束腰，起來，將我所吩咐你的一切話都告訴他們；不要因他們驚惶，免得我使你在他們面前驚惶。 ¹⁸看哪，我今日使你成為堅城、鐵柱、銅牆，對抗全地和猶大的君王、官長、祭司，並這地的百姓。 ¹⁹他們要攻擊你，卻不能勝過你，因為我與你同在，要拯救你。這是耶和華說的。」