4. Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;and before you were born I sanctified you,and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6. Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7. But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth.’ For you shall go everywhere that I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8. Do not be afraid of their faces. For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Now, I have put My words in your mouth.
10. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”
11. Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
12. Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well. For I will hasten My word to perform it.”
13. The word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”And I said, “I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
14. Then the Lord said to me: Out of the north calamity will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land.