1:1-5
1The 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.
The words of Jeremiah, to whom God spoke, when Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah were kings of Judah, before Jerusalem was taken captive.
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 nations.
The word of God came to me, saying,
I made you a prophet while you were a fetus. [1]
1:6-19
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
I said,
I can't speak, because I'm still a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
God said to me,
Don't say you're a child.You are going to speak for me.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Don't be afraid of their faces.
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.
Then God touched my mouth with his hand, and said,
I've put words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
I've put you in charge of nations and kingdoms,
to to destroy and build up.
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 said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
The word of God came to me and said,
Jeremiah, what do you see?
And I said,
A rod of an almond tree.
13And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
The word of God came to me a second time, and said,
What do you see?
I said,
A seething pot facing north.
14Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
God said to me,
Evil will attack everyone from the north.
15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
I will call all the kingdoms of the north to set up their thrones on the gates of Jerusalem.
16And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
And I will punish those who have forsaken me by burning incense to other gods or worshiping the works of their own hands. [2]
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
So gird up your loins and speak to them.
Don't worry about their faces.
19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
They'll fight against you, but they won't win.
Because I'm with you.
Christians often cite this verse as biblical proof that a fetus is a person. Their rationale is that if God knows us in the womb, then fetuses are people too. Of course, they overlook the verses that show God's willingness to kill both the born and the unborn.
