For behold is an emphatic device for introducing a message from the LORD. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh simply renders “For” and Good News Translation “because.” New Jerusalem Bible has “For look,” while Revised English Bible does not represent these words at all.

Days are coming is rendered “the time is coming” by Good News Translation and Revised English Bible, since this is a more natural expression in English. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begins verse 3 with “for the time comes….” See 7.32.

Says the LORD in its two occurrences in this verse differs in the Hebrew word for says, though the meaning of the expression is the same in each instance. It is a frequently used emphatic formula. See 1.8.

Restore the fortunes represents the interpretation followed by most modern biblical scholars, though it may possibly have the more restricted meaning of “turn away the captivity” (New Jerusalem Bible “bring back the captives”). See the comment at 29.14. Most translators will follow the Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation interpretation with a phrase such as “make the situation of my people good again.”

Bring … back comes from the same Hebrew root as the verb restore and may be an intended play on words. In many languages “take … back” or “lead … back” will be more natural.

Fathers is more accurately “ancestors” (Good News Translation). See 2.5.

They shall take possession of it may also be rendered “it will be their land [or, home] again.”

New Jerusalem Bible renders the last part of this verse as “I shall make them come back and take possession of the country I gave to their ancestors.” In Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch the last sentence appears as “I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their ancestors; they must again take it for their possession.”

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 .