5. “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6. Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”
7. But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere that I send you. You must say everything I tell you to say.
8. Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you. I will protect you,” says the Lord.
9. Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth.
10. Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”
11. The Lord spoke this word to me: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”I answered the Lord and said, “I see a stick of almond wood.”
12. The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly! And I am watching to make sure my words come true.”
13. The Lord spoke his word to me again: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”I answered the Lord and said, “I see a pot of boiling water. It is tipping over from the north!”
14. The Lord said to me, “Disaster will come from the north. It will happen to all the people who live in this country.
15. In a short time I will call all of the people in the northern kingdoms,” said the Lord.“Those kings will come and set up their thronesnear the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.They will attack the city walls around Jerusalem.They will attack all the cities in Judah.
16. And I will announce my judgments against my people.I will do this because of their evil in turning away from me.They offered sacrifices to other gods.And they worshiped idols they had made with their own hands.
17. “Jeremiah, get ready. Stand up and speak to the people. Tell them everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of the people. If you are afraid of them, I will give you good reason to be afraid of them.