Jeremiah Chapter 1

3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

4 Now the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child.

7 But Jehovah said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid because of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Jehovah.

9 Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth:

10 see, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.

11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond-tree.

12 Then said Jehovah unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it.

13 And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the north.

14 Then Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith Jehovah; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them.

18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to deliver thee.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkijah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

2 to whom the word of Jehovah came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign;

3 it came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive, in the fifth month.

4 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I hallowed thee, I appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 And I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.

7 But Jehovah said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for thou shalt go to whomsoever I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Jehovah.

9 And Jehovah put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up, and to break down, and to destroy, and to overthrow, to build and to plant.

11 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond-tree.

12 And Jehovah said unto me, Thou hast well seen; for I am watchful over my word to perform it.

13 And the word of Jehovah came to me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething-pot, and its face is from the north.

14 And Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north shall evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

15 For behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith Jehovah, and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah:

16 and I will pronounce my judgments against them for all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto othergods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou, therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I shall command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I cause thee to be dismayed before them.

18 And I, behold, I appoint thee this day as a strong city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land; against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.

19 And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to deliver thee.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 The word of God which came to Jeremias the [son] of Chelcias, of the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

2 [accordingly] as the word of God came to him in the days of Josias son of Amos king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

3 And it was in the days of Joakim son of Josias king of Juda, until the eleventh year of Sedekias king of Juda, [even] until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 And the word of the Lord came to him, [saying],

5 Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth from the womb, I sanctified thee; I appointed thee a prophet to the nations.

6 And I said, O Lord, thou that art supreme Lord, behold, I know not [how] to speak, for I am a child.

7 And the Lord said to me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all to whomsoever I shall send thee, and according to all [the words] that I shall command thee, thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid before them: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

9 And the Lord stretched forth his hand to me, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words into thy mouth.

10 Behold, I have appointed thee this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to rebuild, and to plant.

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, What seest thou? And I said, A rod of an almond tree.

12 And the Lord said to me, Thou hast well seen: for I have watched over my words to perform them.

13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, A caldron on the fire; and the face of it is toward the north.

14 And the Lord said to me, From the north shall flame forth evils upon all the inhabitants of the land.

15 For, behold, I call together all the kingdoms of the earth from the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and shall set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls round about her, and against all the cities of Juda.

16 And I will speak to them in judgment, concerning all their iniquity, [forasmuch] as they have forsaken me, and sacrificed to strange gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 And do thou gird up thy loins, and stand up, and speak all [the words] that I shall command thee: be not afraid of their face, neither be thou alarmed before them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

18 Behold, I have made thee this day as a strong city, and as a brazen wall, strong [against] all the kings of Juda, and the princes thereof, and the people of the land.

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall by no means prevail against thee; because I am with thee, to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Verba Ieremiæ filii Helciæ, de sacerdotibus, qui fuerunt in Anathoth, in Terra Beniamin.

2 Quod factum est verbum Domini ad eum in diebus Iosiæ filii Amon regis Iuda, in tertiodecimo anno regni eius.

3 Et factum est in diebus Ioakim filii Iosiæ regis Iuda, usque ad consummationem undecimi anni Sedeciæ filii Iosiæ regis Iuda, usque ad transmigrationem Ierusalem, in mense quinto.

4 Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens:

5 Priusquam te formarem in utero, novi te: et antequam exires de vulva, sanctificavi te, et prophetam in Gentibus dedi te.

6 Et dixi, A a a, Domine Deus: ecce nescio loqui, quia puer ego sum.

7 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Noli dicere: Puer sum: quoniam ad omnia, quæ mittam te, ibis: et universa, quæcumque mandavero tibi, loqueris.

8 Ne timeas a facie eorum: quia tecum ego sum ut eruam te, dicit Dominus.

9 Et misit Dominus manum suam, et tetigit os meum: et dixit Dominus ad me: Ecce dedi verba mea in ore tuo:

10 ecce constitui te hodie super Gentes, et super regna ut evellas, et destruas, et disperdas, et dissipes, et ædifices, et plantes.

11 Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens: Quid tu vides Ieremia? Et dixi: Virgam vigilantem ego video.

12 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Bene vidisti, quia vigilabo ego super verbo meo ut faciam illud.

13 Et factum est verbum Domini secundo ad me, dicens: Quid tu vides? Et dixi: Ollam succensam ego video, et faciem eius a facie Aquilonis.

14 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Ab Aquilone pandetur malum super omnes habitatores terræ.

15 quia ecce ego convocabo omnes cognationes regnorum Aquilonis, ait Dominus: et venient et ponent unusquisque solium suum in introitu portarum Ierusalem, et super omnes muros eius in circuitu, et super universas urbes Iuda.

16 Et loquar iudicia mea cum eis super omnem malitiam eorum, qui dereliquerunt me, et libaverunt diis alienis, et adoraverunt opus manuum suarum.

17 Tu ergo accinge lumbos tuos, et surge, et loquere ad eos omnia quæ ego præcipio tibi. Ne formides a facie eorum: nec enim timere te faciam vultum eorum.

18 Ego quippe dedi te hodie in civitatem munitam, et in columnam ferream, et in murum æreum, super omnem terram, regibus Iuda, principibus eius, et sacerdotibus, et populo terræ.

19 Et bellabunt adversum te, et non prævalebunt: quia ego tecum sum, ait Dominus, ut liberem te.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.

2 The LORD’s word came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

4 Now the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.”

7 But the LORD said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am a child;’ for you must go to whomever I send you, and you must say whatever I command you.

8 Don’t be afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you,” says the LORD.

9 Then the LORD stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. Then the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

10 Behold, I have today set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

11 Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”

12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well; for I watch over my word to perform it.”

13 The LORD’s word came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a boiling cauldron; and it is tipping away from the north.”

14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north, evil will break out on all the inhabitants of the land.

15 For behold, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the LORD. “They will come, and they will each set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls all around, and against all the cities of Judah.

16 I will utter my judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.

17 “You therefore put your belt on your waist, arise, and say to them all that I command you. Don’t be dismayed at them, lest I dismay you before them.

18 For behold, I have made you today a fortified city, 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.

19 They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you”, says the LORD, “to rescue you.”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who <FI>are<Fi> in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin,

2 unto whom the word of Jehovah hath been in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign,

3 and it is in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, till the completion of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, till the removal of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

5 `Before I form thee in the belly, I have known thee; and before thou comest forth from the womb I have separated thee, a prophet to nations I have made thee.'

6 And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah! lo, I have not known--to speak, for I <FI>am<Fi> a youth.'

7 And Jehovah saith unto me, `Do not say, I <FI>am<Fi> a youth, for to all to whom I send thee thou goest, and all that I command thee thou speakest.

8 Be not afraid of their faces, for with thee <FI>am<Fi> I to deliver thee, --an affirmation of Jehovah.'

9 And Jehovah putteth forth His hand, and striketh against my mouth, and Jehovah saith unto me, `Lo, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10 See, I have charged thee this day concerning the nations, and concerning the kingdoms, to pluck up, and to break down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.'

11 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `What art thou seeing, Jeremiah?' And I say, `A rod of an almond tree I am seeing.'

12 And Jehovah saith unto me, `Thou hast well seen: for I am watching over My word to do it.'

13 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me a second time, saying, `What art thou seeing?' And I say, `A blown pot I am seeing, and its face <FI>is<Fi> from the north.'

14 And Jehovah saith unto me, `From the north is the evil loosed against all inhabitants of the land.

15 For, lo, I am calling for all families of the kingdoms of the north, --an affirmation of Jehovah--and they have come, and put each his throne at the opening of the gates of Jerusalem, and by its walls round about, and by all cities of Judah.

16 And I have spoken My judgments with them concerning all their evil, in that they have forsaken Me, and make perfume to other gods, and bow themselves to the works of their own hands.

17 `And thou, thou dost gird up thy loins, and hast arisen, and spoken unto them all that I command thee: be not affrighted because of them, lest I affright thee before them.

18 And I, lo, I have given thee this day for a fenced city, and for an iron pillar, and for brazen walls over all the land, to the kings of Judah, to its heads, to its priests, and to the people of the land;

19 and they have fought against thee, and they prevail not against thee; for with thee <FI>am<Fi> I, --an affirmation of Jehovah--to deliver thee.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).