Damascus is better rendered “the people of Damascus” (Good News Translation). Hebrew may be able to speak of a city becoming weak with terror and fleeing, but many languages can only say that the people of the city experienced these things.

Panic seized her can be expressed as “they have panicked.”

Anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a woman in travail: If translators cannot speak of anguish and sorrows taking hold of the people, then they can say “They are anguished and in pain like a woman in labor.” For anguish see 6.24; for sorrows see 13.21, where Revised Standard Version has “pangs.” For the imagery of a woman in travail, see 4.31; note also 6.24; 13.21; 22.23; 31.8; 50.43.

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 .