Good News Translation renders Hear this as “Pay attention,” which expresses the meaning clearly. “Listen to what I have to say” is also good.

Foolish translates the word rendered “stupid” by Revised Standard Version in 4.22. Senseless translates the Hebrew idiom “without heart.” It should be recalled that in Hebrew the “heart” most frequently signifies the center of thought or will, rather than of emotion. See verse 24.

Who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not: The two parallel lines are somewhat abbreviated by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, “You have eyes and ears, but you see and hear nothing.”

Many translators make this verse two sentences:

• Pay attention, you stupid and senseless people. You have eyes, but you can’t see, and you have ears, but you can’t hear.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .