1. The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2. To 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.
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. Then the word of the Lord 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, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the Gentiles.
6. Then I said, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I do not know how to speak: for I am a child.
7. But the Lord said unto me, Do not say, I am a child; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8. Do not be afraid of their faces; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9. Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10. See, I have placed thee in this day over Gentiles and over kingdoms, to root out, and to destroy, and to throw out, and to cast down, to build, and to plant.
11. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12. Then the Lord said unto me, Thou hast seen well, for I will hasten my word to perform it.
13. And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and its face is toward the north.