Had imprisoned him really means “had had his men imprison him.”

Saying, “Why do you prophesy and say…?: In this construction the pronoun you is emphatic. For prophesy see 19.14. Saying and say each serve to introduce direct discourse. In order to avoid multiple layers of direct discourse, Revised English Bible renders “after demanding what he meant by this prophecy….” Good News Translation shifts both this clause and that which follows (Thus says the LORD) to indirect discourse and shifts to a first person reference to Jeremiah: “and had accused me of announcing that the LORD had said….” The king poses a question with Why, which even though it is asking for information really has the effect of an accusation, as Good News Translation makes clear. Translators should use whatever form would be natural in their language to carry this same meaning; for example, “You say that the LORD says he will let the king of Babylonia capture this city. Why do you do this? [or, Is it right to do this?]”

For Behold see 1.6.

I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it is somewhat redundant, and Good News Translation renders “I am going to let the king of Babylonia capture this city.” The Revised English Bible translators prefer “into the power of” over the Hebrew metaphor into the hand of. New Jerusalem Bible is also a good model: “I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will capture it.”

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 .