11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (A)“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond[a] branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see (B)a boiling pot, facing away (C)from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, (D)“Out of the north disaster[b] shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, (E)I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, (F)and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And (G)I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil (H)in forsaking me. (I)They have made offerings to other gods and (J)worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, (K)dress yourself for work;[c] arise, and (L)say to them everything that I command you. (M)Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day (N)a fortified city, (O)an iron pillar, and (P)bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 (Q)They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for (R)I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12)
  2. Jeremiah 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah
  3. Jeremiah 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins

11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”(A)

“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching[a](B) to see that my word is fulfilled.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”(C)

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

14 The Lord said to me, “From the north(D) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

“Their kings will come and set up their thrones
    in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
    and against all the towns of Judah.(E)
16 I will pronounce my judgments(F) on my people
    because of their wickedness(G) in forsaking me,(H)
in burning incense to other gods(I)
    and in worshiping(J) what their hands have made.(K)

17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say(L) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified(M) by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you(N) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome(O) you, for I am with you(P) and will rescue(Q) you,” declares the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 1:12 The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.