And you shall read this book: This is a literal translation of the Greek text, which has a simple future verb. The pronoun you is plural. This book refers to Baruch’s book. The translational problem is fitting this clause into the context appropriately. It is a humble request on the part of the exiled Jews; they are in no position to give orders to the priests. New English Bible “You are to read this book” sounds like an order. Moore’s “So read aloud this letter” makes it sound like a consequence of what is in the previous verse, but it isn’t. “Please read this book” (Good News Translation) comes close, but sounds too much like begging. Some possible alternatives are “We also ask you to read this book,” “Finally, we ask you to…,” and “We would like you to….” Almost certainly, the intended sense of read is that the reading be done aloud, publicly. This should probably be made clear in translation; for example, “Finally, we ask you [plural] to read in public this book.”
To make your confession in the house of the Lord: Although the translation in Good News Translation can be defended, the Greek text does not really speak about a “confession of sin.” This idea seems to come from the passage immediately following this one, which is such a confession. The Greek here implies only that they are to read the book in public, as noted in the discussion above. An alternative rendering for the first half of this verse is “Finally, we ask you to take this book that we are sending you and read it publicly in the temple.”
On the days of the feasts: Most translations prefer the text found in other manuscripts, which read “on the day of the feast.” Some writers believe that the reference here is to the festival called “Festival of Shelters” in Good News Translation (Lev 23.33-36) when people built temporary shelters or booths to stay in during this festival; Good News Translation obviously accepts this. Others feel that the Day of Atonement may be meant, or even any appropriate religious occasion (Contemporary English Version “during festivals”). We recommend following Good News Translation.
The following phrase, at appointed seasons, might strengthen the idea that the writers are not thinking of any one particular occasion in the Jewish calendar. A translator feeling this way should state the matter in appropriately general terms, for example, “during religious festivals [or, fiestas] and on other holy days.”
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.