Yirmeyah
1
1 Divrei Yirmeyah ben Chilkiyah, of the kohanim that were in Anatot in Eretz Binyamin; 2 To whom the Devar Hashem came in the days of Yoshiyah ben Amon Melech Yehudah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.* 3 And in the days of Y'hoyakim ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyah ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that is, until the Golus Yerushalayim captive in the fifth month.†
4 Then the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying:
5 Before I formed thee in the beten
I knew thee;
and before thou camest forth out of the rechem
I set thee apart as kodesh,
and I ordained thee a navi unto the Goyim.
6 Then said I: Ah, Adonoi Hashem! hinei, I have no da'as to speak; for I am a na'ar. 7 But Hashem said unto me:
Say not, Na'ar anochi;
for thou shalt go to all that 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 Hashem.
9 Then Hashem put forth His yad, and touched my mouth. And Hashem said unto me:
Hinei, I put My words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this yom set thee
over the Goyim and over the mamlachot (kingdoms),
to uproot, and to tear down,
and to destroy, and to demolish,
to build, and to plant.
11 Moreover the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying, Yirmeyah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a makel shaqed(a branch of an almond tree). 12 Then said Hashem unto me, Thou hast well seen: for shoqed(WATCHING) I am over My Devar to carry it out.
13 And the Devar Hashem came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a siyr nafuach(A BOILING CAULDRON) tipping over from the north. 14 Then Hashem said unto me, From the north hara'ah (the evil, disaster) TIPATACH (SHALL BE POURED OUT) upon all the inhabitants of HaAretz. 15 For, hineni, I am now summoning all the mishpekhot mamlechot of the north, saith Hashem; they shall come, they shall set every one his kisse at the petach Sha'arei Yerushalayim, and against all the surrounding chomot thereof, against all the towns of Yehudah. 16 And I will pronounce My mishpatim against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken Me, and have burned ketoret unto elohim acherim, and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 Thou therefore tighten thy gartel of readiness, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not fearful before them, lest I make thee fearful before them. 18 For, hinei, I have made thee today an ir mivtzar (a fortified city), and an ammud barzel, and a chomat nechoshet against kol HaAretz, against the melachim of Yehudah, against the sarim thereof, against the kohanim thereof, and against the am ha'aretz. 19 And they shall make war against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith Hashem, to deliver thee.
* 1:2 i.e., 627 B.C.E. † 1:3 i.e., 587 B.C.E.