Jeremiah 1:1-10

1This book tells about Hilkiah's son, Jeremiah, and the words that he spoke. Jeremiah was a priest. He lived at Anathoth, a town in the land that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.

2The Lord first spoke to him when Amon's son Josiah had been king of Judah for 13 years.

3The Lord also spoke to him while Josiah's son, Jehoiakim, ruled Judah as king. He continued to speak to Jeremiah until Josiah's son Zedekiah had ruled Judah for 11 years. In the fifth month of that year, Judah's enemies took the people of Jerusalem away as their prisoners.

4The Lord gave me this message:

5‘I already knew you before I made you inside your mother's body. I chose you to be special before you were born. I chose you to be my prophet, to speak my message to other nations.’

6I answered, ‘Lord God, I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.’

7The Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone that I send you to. You must say whatever I tell you to say.

8Do not be afraid of them. Remember that I will be with you. I will keep you safe.’

9Then the Lord touched my mouth with his hand. He said to me, ‘I am giving you the words that you must speak.

10Look! I give you authority to tell nations and kingdoms what will happen to them. You will pull some of them out of the ground, like a plant and its roots. You will knock down and destroy some of them. You will bring an end to their power. But you will build up other nations and make them strong.’