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11 The Lord said to him: Who gives one person speech? Who makes another mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go, I will assist you in speaking[a] and teach you what you are to say.

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Footnotes

  1. 4:12 Assist you in speaking: lit., “be with your mouth”; cf. v. 15, lit., “be with your mouth and with his mouth.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?(A) Who gives them sight or makes them blind?(B) Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go;(C) I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”(D)

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“Ah, Lord God!” I said,
    “I do not know how to speak. I am too young!”[a]
But the Lord answered me,
Do not say, “I am too young.”
    To whomever I send you, you shall go;
    whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of them,
    for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the Lord.

Then the Lord extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying to me,

See, I place my words in your mouth!(A)
10     Today I appoint you
    over nations and over kingdoms,
To uproot and to tear down,
    to destroy and to demolish,
    to build and to plant.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:6 I am too young: like Moses (Ex 3:11, 13; 4:10), Jeremiah at first resists God’s call. This narrative is perhaps patterned after the story of Moses’ call in order to identify Jeremiah as the prophet “like me” in Dt 18:15.

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;(A) I am too young.”(B)

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid(C) of them, for I am with you(D) and will rescue(E) you,” declares the Lord.(F)

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched(G) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.(H) 10 See, today I appoint you over nations(I) and kingdoms to uproot(J) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”(K)

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11 When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,(A) do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. 12 For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

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11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,(A) 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”(B)

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