Jeremiah 1

 

דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ מִן־הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתֹות בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן׃   1:1

Jere. 1:1   The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, from the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלָיו בִּימֵי יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמֹון מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה בִּשְׁלֹשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְמָלְכֹו׃   1:2

Jere. 1:2   to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign,

וַיְהִי בִּימֵי יְהֹויָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עַד־תֹּם עַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ בֶן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ   1:3    יְהוּדָה עַד־גְּלֹות יְרוּשָׁלִַם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי׃

Jere. 1:3   and came in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year for Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month:

From these first three verses, we know that the period of Jeremiah’s prophecies began over 100 years after Isaiah’s, and continued for some 40 years, ending during the Babylonian exile.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   1:4

Jere. 1:4   And the word of the Lord came to me saying,

בְּטֶרֶם (אֶצֹּורְךָ) [אֶצָּרְךָ] בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ וּבְטֶרֶם תֵּצֵא מֵרֶחֶם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ נָבִיא לַגֹּויִם נְתַתִּיךָ׃   1:5

Jere. 1:5   “Before I would have formed you

                            I knew you in the belly,

                   and before you would have come forth from the womb

                            I sanctified you;

                    I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

The vav in the word in parentheses is not necessary and constitutes an error.  The correct spelling appears in the brackets.

וָאֹמַר אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה הִנֵּה לֹא־יָדַעְתִּי דַּבֵּר כִּי־נַעַר אָנֹכִי׃   1:6

Jere. 1:6   But I would say, “Ah, O Master, O Lord, behold, I do not know to speak, for a child am I.”

From the words I would say appearing in this verse and in v. 1:11, I suspect that this episode occurred in a dream or vision.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי אַל־תֹּאמַר נַעַר אָנֹכִי כִּי עַל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁלָחֲךָ תֵּלֵךְ וְאֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוְּךָ תְּדַבֵּר׃   1:7

Jere. 1:7   and the Lord said to me,

                   “You shall not say, ‘A child am I,’

                            but to all whom I shall send you, you shall go,

                    and all that I command you, you shall speak.”

אַל־תִּירָא מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי לְהַצִּלֶךָ נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃   1:8

Jere. 1:8   “You will not be afraid of them,

                            for I shall be with you to deliver you,”

                    declared the Lord.

וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה אֶת־יָדֹו וַיַּגַּע עַל־פִּי וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי דְבָרַי בְּפִיךָ׃   1:9

Jere. 1:9   And the Lord extended His “hand” and touched my mouth.  And the Lord said to me,

                   “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”

רְאֵה הִפְקַדְתִּיךָ הַיֹּום הַזֶּה עַל־הַגֹּויִם וְעַל־הַמַּמְלָכֹות לִנְתֹושׁ וְלִנְתֹוץ וּלְהַאֲבִיד וְלַהֲרֹוס לִבְנֹות   1:10   וְלִנְטֹועַ׃

Jere. 1:10   “See, I charge you this day

                             concerning the nations

                      and concerning the kingdoms,

                             to root out and to pull down

                      and to destroy and to overthrow,

                             to build, and to plant.”

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר מָה־אַתָּה רֹאֶה יִרְמְיָהוּ וָאֹמַר מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד אֲנִי רֹאֶה׃   1:11

Jere. 1:11   Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “What are you seeing, Jeremiah?” And I would say, “I am seeing a rod of an almond tree.”

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי הֵיטַבְתָּ לִרְאֹות כִּי־שֹׁקֵד אֲנִי עַל־דְּבָרִי לַעֲשֹׂתֹו׃   1:12

Jere. 1:12   And the Lord said to me, “You are seeing well, for I am alert about My word to do it.”

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי שֵׁנִית לֵאמֹר מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה וָאֹמַר סִיר נָפוּחַ אֲנִי רֹאֶה וּפָנָיו מִפְּנֵי צָפֹונָה׃   1:13

Jere. 1:13   And the word of the Lord occurred to me again saying, “What are you seeing?” And I would say, “I am seeing a boiling pot, and its face is out of the north.”

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלָי מִצָּפֹון תִּפָּתַח הָרָעָה עַל כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ׃   1:14

Jere. 1:14   And the Lord said to me, “From the north the evil shall spill forth over all the inhabitants of the land.”

כִּי הִנְנִי קֹרֵא לְכָל־מִשְׁפְּחֹות מַמְלְכֹות צָפֹונָה נְאֻם־יְהוָה וּבָאוּ וְנָתְנוּ אִישׁ כִּסְאֹו פֶּתַח שַׁעֲרֵי   1:15      יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְעַל כָּל־חֹומֹתֶיהָ סָבִיב וְעַל כָּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה׃

Jere. 1:15   “For behold, I am calling to all the families from the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord, “and they shall come, and they shall set each one his throne at the entrance to the gates of Jerusalem and against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah.”

                                                                                                                                [Return to Jere. 18:3]

וְדִבַּרְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטַי אֹותָם עַל כָּל־רָעָתָם אֲשֶׁר עֲזָבוּנִי וַיְקַטְּרוּ לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְמַעֲשֵׂי   1:16      יְדֵיהֶם׃

Jere. 1:16   “And I will teach them My judgments because of all their wickedness, who have forsaken Me and offered to other gods and worshipped the products of their hand.”

וְאַתָּה תֶּאְזֹר מָתְנֶיךָ וְקַמְתָּ וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי אֲצַוֶּךָּ אַל־תֵּחַת מִפְּנֵיהֶם פֶּן־אֲחִתְּךָ   1:17 לִפְנֵיהֶם׃

Jere. 1:17   “So you will gird your loins and arise, and you shall speak to them all that I will command you.  You should not be dismayed in their presence lest I confuse you before them.”

וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה נְתַתִּיךָ הַיֹּום לְעִיר מִבְצָר וּלְעַמּוּד בַּרְזֶל וּלְחֹמֹות נְחֹשֶׁת עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה   1:18      לְשָׂרֶיהָ לְכֹהֲנֶיהָ וּלְעַם הָאָרֶץ׃

Jere. 1:18   “But I, behold, make you today for a fortified city and for an iron pillar and for brass walls against all the land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests, and to the people of the land.”

וְנִלְחֲמוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְלֹא־יוּכְלוּ לָךְ כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי נְאֻם־יְהוָה לְהַצִּילֶךָ׃   1:19

Jere. 1:19   “And they shall fight against you but they shall not prevail against you, for I will be with you,” declares the Lord, “to deliver you.”

 

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