They did not obey or incline their ear: 7.26 has “yet they did not listen to me, or incline their ear.” For incline their ear, see 7.24. Good News Translation has reversed the two verbs: “they did not listen or obey.”

Walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart: See 3.17; 7.24; 9.14; 11.8; 13.10; 16.12; 18.12; 23.17. In 7.26 “stiffened their neck” is used to express this same meaning. Revised English Bible has “followed the promptings of his own stubborn and wicked heart.” It may be somewhat simpler for readers to say “stubbornly continued to act as their evil hearts directed [or, to follow their evil desires].” Another advantage of this restructuring is that his, which could make it seem that only males are being referred to, is replaced by “their,” thereby including all people.

The order of the clauses following Therefore are reversed by Good News Translation: “I had commanded them to keep the covenant, but they refused. So I brought on them all the punishments described in it.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders these clauses “So I had to carry out all the threats that I had made in case they broke my covenant and did not keep its obligations!”

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 .