Translators should ignore the connector For, as Good News Translation does.

She saw the wrath that came upon you from God: It is helpful to identify Jerusalem here, as Good News Translation does, rather than leave it as she. We are beginning an extended passage where Jerusalem, as a grieving mother, will be speaking. Good News Translation introduces the idea of punishment, which is not stated directly in Greek: “Jerusalem saw that God was punishing you because he was angry.” This is certainly the writer’s idea, though his words could be expressed as “Jerusalem saw how angry God was with you.” The slight restructuring in Good News Translation could be improved by beginning this verse as follows: “When Jerusalem saw that God was punishing you because he was angry, she said….”

Jerusalem will be speaking from this point on through verse 29, although she will finish speaking to her neighbors in verse 16, and then begin speaking to the exiles.

Hearken is a literal rendering of the Greek word here. This word can be interpreted in two ways. If it means literally “Listen,” Jerusalem is calling on her neighbors to listen to what she has to say, and the translator should indicate this by saying “Listen to me” (Contemporary English Version) or “… to what I have to say.” More likely, however, the word is simply an attention-getter, in which case the imagery of looking (Good News Translation) is just as good as that of listening (compare Lam 1.12).

You neighbors of Zion: In Greek, Jerusalem addresses her neighbors. Good News Translation makes this more natural in English by taking the identification of those spoken to out of Jerusalem’s words and putting it in the leading statement: “she said to all the neighboring cities.” (The Greek does not say “all.”) Zion was technically only a part of the city of Jerusalem, but often, as here, the two names mean the same thing; Good News Translation combines them. Good News Translation interprets neighbors as “neighboring cities.” It could actually refer to neighboring cities, regions, or peoples, but cities (or towns), as centers of population, is a good way of expressing the idea (see Jer 49.18). The phrase neighbors of Zion occurs again in verses 14 and 24.

God has brought great sorrow upon me may be translated “God has caused me to be very sad.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• When Jerusalem saw that God was punishing you because he was angry, she said, “Listen to me, you nearby towns. God has made me feel very sad.”

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.