Jeremiah 1:7

1:7 The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go 1  to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you.

Jeremiah 18:12

18:12 But they just keep saying, ‘We do not care what you say! 2  We will do whatever we want to do! We will continue to behave wickedly and stubbornly!’” 3 

Jeremiah 39:12

39:12 “Find Jeremiah 4  and look out for him. 5  Do not do anything to harm him, 6  but do with him whatever he tells you.”

1 tn Or “For you must go and say.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is likely adversative here after a negative statement (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.e). The Lord is probably not giving a rationale for the denial of Jeremiah’s objection but redirecting his focus, i.e., “do not say…but go…and say.”

2 tn Heb “It is useless!” See the same expression in a similar context in Jer 2:25.

3 tn Heb “We will follow our own plans and do each one according to the stubbornness of his own wicked heart.”

sn This has been the consistent pattern of their behavior. See 7:24; 9:13; 13:10; 16:12.

4 tn Heb “Get [or fetch] him.” The referent is supplied for clarity.

5 tn Or “take care of him”; Heb “set your eyes on him.” For the meaning of this idiom see BDB 963 s.v. שִׂים 2.c and compare 24:6 where the phrase “for good” is added.

6 tn Heb “Don’t do anything evil [= harmful] to him.”