As in most other places, Good News Translation finds it more natural to move the address to kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem to the beginning of the message that Jeremiah was to give.

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19. For both LORD of hosts and God of Israel, see 7.3.

Behold: See 1.6.

Evil is best understood here as “disaster” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). See 11.11.

This place: Here and in verse 4 the reference is to Jerusalem, but translators should render it literally (“this place”), not as “Jerusalem.”

The ears of every one who hears of it will tingle is an idiom expressing astonishment or shock. Most versions retain something of the idiom, though Good News Translation has “everyone who hears about it will be stunned.” Some others have “ears tingle with astonishment.” It is natural in Hebrew to use a part of the body as representative of the entire person, and here ears represents the individual.

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 .