דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ מִן־הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן

These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiyahu, of the priests who were in Anatot in the land of Benjamin,

אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר־ה' אֵלָיו בִּימֵי יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹן מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה בִּשְׁלשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְמָלְכוֹ

to whom the word of the Lord was conveyed in prophecy in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

וַיְהִי בִּימֵי יְהוֹיָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עַד־תֹּם עַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ בֶן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עַד־גְּלוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי

It, Jeremiah’s prophecy, was also in the days of Yehoyakim son of Yoshiyahu, king of Judah, and presumably during the brief reign of his son Yehoyakhin as well, until the conclusion of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu son of Yoshiyahu, king of Judah, until the exile of the people of Jerusalem in the fifth month. Some of Jeremiah’s prophecies were delivered after the destruction of the kingdom and the exile of the people of Jerusalem as well.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

בְּטֶרֶם אֶצָּרְךָ בַבֶּטֶן – יְדַעְתִּיךָ וּבְטֶרֶם תֵּצֵא מֵרֶחֶם – הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ נָבִיא לַגּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ

Before I formed you in the belly, even before you were conceived, I knew you and designated you for a close relationship with Me. The verb “to know,” as used in the Bible, includes a connotation of intimacy. And before you emerged from the womb I sanctified you. It is not that you are being commissioned as a prophet only now, as you were destined for this position before your birth, and even before your conception. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Although Jeremiah speaks primarily of the people of Judah and Jerusalem, his book also includes prophecies that are addressed to some of the neighboring nations (see 9:25, 25:9–29, 27:3–11, chaps. 46–51).

וָאֹמַר אֲהָהּ ה' אֱלוֹהִים! הִנֵּה לֹא־יָדַעְתִּי דַבֵּר כִּי־נַעַר אָנֹכִי

Jeremiah’s response reflected his reservations. I said: Alas, my Lord God, behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am a lad. I am a very young man and not an eloquent speaker. How can I serve as a prophet?

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי אַל־תֹּאמַר נַעַר אָנֹכִי כִּי עַל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁלָחֲךָ – תֵּלֵךְ וְאֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוְּךָ – תְּדַבֵּר

The Lord said to me: Do not say: I am a lad, in order to avoid your mission, for, rather, to wherever I will send you, you shall go, and whatever I will command you, you shall speak.

אַל־תִּירָא מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי לְהַצִּלֶךָ נְאֻם־ה'

Do not fear them, those to whom I will send you, even though they will not always be pleased to hear your prophecies, as I am with you to deliver you – the utterance of the Lord.

וַיִּשְׁלַח ה' אֶת־יָדוֹ וַיַּגַּע עַל־פִּי וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי דְבָרַי בְּפִיךָ

The Lord sent His hand forth and touched my mouth. Jeremiah felt as though a hand were touching his mouth. And the Lord said to me: Behold, I have set My words in your mouth. I have transferred them to you, and they are now yours.

רְאֵה הִפְקַדְתִּיךָ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה עַל־הַגּוֹיִם וְעַל־הַמַּמְלָכוֹת לִנְתוֹשׁ וְלִנְתוֹץ וּלְהַאֲבִיד וְלַהֲרוֹס לִבְנוֹת וְלִנְטוֹעַ

See, I appointed you this day as a prophet over the nations and over the kingdoms, to deliver to them prophecies, warnings, and instructions. Your prophecies will serve to uproot, to smash, to eradicate, and to destroy, but also to build and to plant.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר מָה־אַתָּה רֹאֶה יִרְמְיָהוּ וָאֹמַר מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד אֲנִי רֹאֶה

After having been informed of his mission, Jeremiah receives another prophetic vision. The word of the Lord was with me, saying: What do you see, Jeremiah? I said: I see a branch of an almond tree [shaked].

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי הֵיטַבְתָּ לִרְאוֹת כִּי־שֹׁקֵד אֲנִי עַל־דְּבָרִי לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ

The Lord said to me: Not every person would have discerned that this is a branch of an almond tree, but you have seen well and also know how to describe your vision verbally. As the almond tree [shaked] flowers before most other trees, the branch symbolizes the content of your prophecy, for I hasten [shoked] My word to perform it.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי שֵׁנִית לֵאמֹר מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה וָאֹמַר סִיר נָפוּחַ אֲנִי רֹאֶה וּפָנָיו מִפְּנֵי צָפוֹנָה

The word of the Lord was with me a second time, saying: What do you see? I said: I see a boiling [nafuah·] pot, a pot with a fire fanned below it, or, alternatively, a pot bursting with steam rising from the boiling water, and its opening is facing toward the north. The pot appears to be facing north, as the northern side of its lid rises intermittently from the steam.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלָי מִצָּפוֹן תִּפָּתַח הָרָעָה עַל כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ

The Lord said to me: From the north the evil shall be unleashed upon all the inhabitants of the land. The boiling pot, bursting with steam, symbolizes the calamity that is soon to erupt.

כִּי הִנְנִי קֹרֵא לְכָל־מִשְׁפְּחוֹת מַמְלְכוֹת צָפוֹנָה נְאֻם־ה' וּבָאוּ וְנָתְנוּ אִישׁ כִּסְאוֹ פֶּתַח שַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלַם וְעַל כָּל־חוֹמֹתֶיהָ סָבִיב וְעַל כָּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה

For behold, I am calling all the families, the nations, of the kingdoms of the north – the utterance of the Lord – and they will come, and each man will place his throne, the symbol of his rule, at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the cities of Judah.

וְדִבַּרְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטַי אוֹתָם עַל כָּל־רָעָתָם אֲשֶׁר עֲזָבוּנִי וַיְקַטְּרוּ לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְמַעֲשֵׂי יְדֵיהֶם

I will speak My judgments against them, and rebuke and punish the people of Jerusalem and Judah for all their evildoing, that they forsook Me and burned incense and offered sacrifices to other gods, and they prostrated themselves to their own handiwork.

וְאַתָּה תֶּאְזֹר מָתְנֶיךָ וְקַמְתָּ וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי אֲצַוֶּךָּ אַל־תֵּחַת מִפְּנֵיהֶם פֶּן־אֲחִתְּךָ לִפְנֵיהֶם

You shall gird your loins, preparing yourself for hard work, and you shall arise and speak to them everything that I will command you; do not be dismayed because of them, lest I devastate you before them. You will not be able to stand up to them unless you rely on Me.

וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה נְתַתִּיךָ הַיּוֹם לְעִיר מִבְצָר וּלְעַמּוּד בַּרְזֶל וּלְחֹמוֹת נְחֹשֶׁת עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה לְשָׂרֶיהָ לְכֹהֲנֶיהָ וּלְעַם הָאָרֶץ

And behold, due to the difficult task to which you have been appointed, I render you today a fortified, unconquerable city, and an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the entire land: to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests, and to the people of the land.

וְנִלְחֲמוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְלֹא־יוּכְלוּ לָךְ כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי נְאֻם־ה' לְהַצִּילֶךָ

They, all these people, will make war against you, but they will not prevail against you, as I am with you – the utterance of the Lord – to deliver you. From this point on, you are a prophet, and you must reproach them, prophesy the future to them, and attempt to bring them to repentance.