Exegesis:

legō gar humin ‘for I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8.

polloi prophētai kai basileis ‘many prophets and kings,’ of Old Testament times.

ēthelēsan idein … kai akousai ‘wished to see … and to hear.’

kai ouk eidan … kai ouk ēkousan ‘but did not see … but did not hear.’ kai has here the force of an adversative connective.

ha humeis blepete ‘what you see,’ emphatic.

ha akouete ‘what you hear,’ also emphatic though humeis is not added.

Translation:

Desired. The reference to the past may have to be expressed not in the verb but otherwise, e.g. in the subject, cf. ‘prophets and kings of old’ (Balinese).

And to hear …. This second clause may require repetition of the main verb, e.g. ‘they desired to hear….’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.