New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 1
1
These are the words Jeremiah received from the Lord. He was the son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah was one of the priests at Anathoth. That's a town in the territory of Benjamin.
Reference
2
A message came to Jeremiah from the Lord. It came in the 13th year that Josiah was king over Judah. Josiah was the son of Amon.
Reference
3
The Lord's message also came to Jeremiah during the whole time Jehoiakim was king over Judah. Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah. The Lord continued to speak to Jeremiah until the fifth month of the 11th year that Zedekiah was king over Judah. That's when the people of Jerusalem were forced to leave their country. Zedekiah was the son of Josiah. Here is what Jeremiah said.
Reference
4
A message came to me from the Lord. He said,
Reference
Word
Ezekiel 3:16
5
"Before I formed you in your mother's body I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart to serve me. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations."
Reference
Holy
Luke 1:41
Parallel theme
Psalm 139:16
Isaiah 49:1
Romans 8:29
Isaiah 49:5
Isaiah 44:2
Exodus 33:17
Jeremiah 1:10
Exodus 33:12
Prophecy
Luke 1:76
6
"You are my Lord and King," I said. "I don't know how to speak. I'm only a child."
Reference
References God
Jeremiah 32:17
Jeremiah 14:13
Jeremiah 4:10
References Lord
Exodus 6:12
Exodus 6:30
Exodus 4:1
7
But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I'm only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to. You must say everything I command you to say.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 22:20
Matthew 28:20
Numbers 22:38
References Lord
Ezekiel 3:27
1 Kings 22:14
2 Chronicles 18:13
8
Do not be afraid of the people I send you to. I am with you. I will save you," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 1:5
Isaiah 51:7
Acts 4:13
Exodus 3:12
Isaiah 43:2
Acts 18:10
Acts 26:17
References Lord
Joshua 1:9
Deuteronomy 31:6
Deuteronomy 31:8
9
Then the Lord reached out his hand. He touched my mouth and spoke to me. He said, "I have put my words in your mouth.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 21:15
Luke 12:12
Matthew 10:19
Word
Isaiah 51:16
Isaiah 50:4
Jeremiah 5:14
Ezekiel 3:10
Isaiah 49:2
10
Today I am appointing you to speak to nations and kingdoms. I want you to pull them up by the roots and tear them down. I want you to destroy them and crush them. But I also want you to build them up and plant them."
Reference
11
A message came to me from the Lord. He asked me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "The branch of an almond tree," I replied.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zechariah 5:2
Zechariah 4:2
Numbers 17:8
Ezekiel 7:10
References Lord
Amos 7:8
Amos 8:2
Jeremiah 24:3
12
The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly. I am watching to see that my word comes true."
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 32:35
Luke 10:28
References Lord
Amos 8:2
Word
Ezekiel 12:28
Ezekiel 12:25
Deuteronomy 5:28
13
Another message came to me from the Lord. He asked me, "What do you see?" "A pot that has boiling water in it," I answered. "It's leaning toward us from the north."
Reference
14
The Lord said to me, "Something very bad will be poured out on everyone who lives in this land. It will come from the north.
Reference
15
I am about to send for all of the armies in the northern kingdoms," announces the Lord. "Their kings will come to Jerusalem. They will set up their thrones at the very gates of the city. They will attack all of the walls that surround the city. They will go to war against all of the towns of Judah.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 25:9
Jeremiah 43:10
Jeremiah 39:3
Parallel theme
Isaiah 22:7
Jeremiah 10:25
References Jerusalem
Jeremiah 4:16
Jeremiah 9:11
16
I will judge my people. They have done many evil things. They have deserted me. They have burned incense to other gods. They have worshiped the gods their own hands have made.
Reference
Evil
Deuteronomy 28:20
Jeremiah 44:17
Parallel theme
Acts 7:41
Jeremiah 4:12
Jeremiah 17:13
References God
Jeremiah 7:9
Jeremiah 19:4
Isaiah 37:19
Deuteronomy 31:16
Worship
Isaiah 2:8
17
"So get ready! Stand up! Tell them everything I command you to. Do not let them terrify you. If you do, I will terrify you in front of them.
Reference
18
Today I have made you like a city that has a high wall around it. I have made you like an iron pillar and a bronze wall. Now you can stand up against the whole land. You can stand against the kings and officials of Judah. You can stand against its priests and its people.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 37:7
Jeremiah 34:3
Parallel theme
Isaiah 50:7
Jeremiah 15:20
Jeremiah 6:27
Jeremiah 38:2
Jeremiah 42:22
Chapter Summary
Jeremiah 1 introduces the prophet and describes the divine calling that established his entire ministry.
Jeremiah came from Anathoth, a priestly settlement in Benjamin, and began his prophetic ministry during the reign of King Josiah, traditionally around 627 BC.
His ministry continued through the reigns of several kings and reached the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, making Jeremiah one of the principal prophetic voices during Judah's final decades.
God tells Jeremiah that He knew him before birth, set him apart, and appointed him to be a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah immediately responds with a feeling of inadequacy.
He believes he is too young and does not know how to speak effectively.
God rejects this objection, explaining that Jeremiah's authority will not come from his age, personality, or speaking ability.
His responsibility is simply to go where God sends him and speak what God commands.
God also tells Jeremiah not to fear the people because He will be with him and will deliver him.
The symbolic touching of Jeremiah's mouth emphasizes that the words he is about to speak are entrusted to him by God.
His mission will have two sides.
He will uproot, destroy, overthrow, and tear down, but he will also build and plant.
Judgment is therefore not the entire purpose of his ministry; destruction will eventually make room for restoration.
Jeremiah then receives two visions.
The first is an almond tree, which reminds him that God is watching over His word to make sure it is fulfilled.
The second is a boiling pot tilted from the north, representing the coming disaster that will pour over Judah.
God explains that kingdoms from the north will attack Jerusalem because Judah has abandoned Him and turned to other gods.
The historical setting becomes particularly significant as Babylon rises to power.
After the defeat of Assyria and Babylon's victory at Carchemish in 605 BC, Babylon became the dominant military power in the region and eventually destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Jeremiah is therefore being called to deliver an extremely unpopular message at one of the most dangerous moments in Judah's history.
The chapter closes with God making Jeremiah spiritually strong, comparing him to a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls.
Kings, officials, priests, and ordinary people will oppose him, but they will not ultimately overcome him.
The central message is that God deliberately called Jeremiah for a difficult prophetic mission before he felt ready for it, promising to place His words in Jeremiah's mouth, protect him from opposition, and use him both to announce the coming judgment of Judah and to prepare the way for future restoration; Jeremiah's ministry would unfold during the final decades before Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC, when faithfulness to God's message required extraordinary courage in the face of powerful political and religious opposition.
Jeremiah came from Anathoth, a priestly settlement in Benjamin, and began his prophetic ministry during the reign of King Josiah, traditionally around 627 BC.
His ministry continued through the reigns of several kings and reached the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, making Jeremiah one of the principal prophetic voices during Judah's final decades.
God tells Jeremiah that He knew him before birth, set him apart, and appointed him to be a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah immediately responds with a feeling of inadequacy.
He believes he is too young and does not know how to speak effectively.
God rejects this objection, explaining that Jeremiah's authority will not come from his age, personality, or speaking ability.
His responsibility is simply to go where God sends him and speak what God commands.
God also tells Jeremiah not to fear the people because He will be with him and will deliver him.
The symbolic touching of Jeremiah's mouth emphasizes that the words he is about to speak are entrusted to him by God.
His mission will have two sides.
He will uproot, destroy, overthrow, and tear down, but he will also build and plant.
Judgment is therefore not the entire purpose of his ministry; destruction will eventually make room for restoration.
Jeremiah then receives two visions.
The first is an almond tree, which reminds him that God is watching over His word to make sure it is fulfilled.
The second is a boiling pot tilted from the north, representing the coming disaster that will pour over Judah.
God explains that kingdoms from the north will attack Jerusalem because Judah has abandoned Him and turned to other gods.
The historical setting becomes particularly significant as Babylon rises to power.
After the defeat of Assyria and Babylon's victory at Carchemish in 605 BC, Babylon became the dominant military power in the region and eventually destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Jeremiah is therefore being called to deliver an extremely unpopular message at one of the most dangerous moments in Judah's history.
The chapter closes with God making Jeremiah spiritually strong, comparing him to a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls.
Kings, officials, priests, and ordinary people will oppose him, but they will not ultimately overcome him.
The central message is that God deliberately called Jeremiah for a difficult prophetic mission before he felt ready for it, promising to place His words in Jeremiah's mouth, protect him from opposition, and use him both to announce the coming judgment of Judah and to prepare the way for future restoration; Jeremiah's ministry would unfold during the final decades before Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC, when faithfulness to God's message required extraordinary courage in the face of powerful political and religious opposition.