1. These are the messages of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah belonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth. That town is in the land that belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.
2. The Lord began to speak to Jeremiah in the 13th year that Josiah, son of Amon, was king of the nation of Judah.
3. He continued to speak to Jeremiah during the time that Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was king of Judah and during the eleven years and five months that Zedekiah, also a son of Josiah, was king of Judah. In the fifth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king, the people who lived in Jerusalem were taken away into exile.
4. The Lord’S message came to me:
5. “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I chose you for a special work. I chose you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6. Then I said, “But, Lord GOD, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”
7. But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere I send you and say everything I tell you to say.
8. Don’t be afraid of anyone. I am with you, and I will protect you.” This message is from the Lord.
9. Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “Jeremiah, I am putting my words in your mouth.
10. Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down. You will destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”
11. The Lord’S message came to me: “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I answered, “I see a stick made from almond wood.”