The heavens here has the meaning “sky” (Good News Translation), not the abode of God. The prophet speaks of the sky as though it were a witness to Israel’s unfaithfulness, and it is called upon to react with horror with what it has seen. By using three verbs (Be appalled … be shocked, be utterly desolate) the sky is called upon to react with absolute disgust for Israel’s foolishness.

There are languages where it would seem quite unnatural to speak to the heavens or the sky, even in poetry or other highly stylized language. In such cases translators might have to do something similar to Bible en français courant “inhabitants of the sky.” In many languages this term of address will have to come at the beginning of the sentence.

Elsewhere in Jeremiah the Hebrew verb translated Be appalled is used in this same sense in 18.16; 19.8; 49.17; 50.13 (often translated “horrified” in Revised Standard Version). In such contexts it means “be amazed” (Good News Translation, New American Bible), usually as a response to some terrible thing that has taken place. Both New Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible have “stand aghast.” “Be horrified” would also convey the meaning. Unlike verse 10, where not all languages would naturally use an imperative, here it is the most appropriate form; an order is being given to the skies to be appalled. It might, however, have to be expressed as “You should be horrified.”

Be shocked derives from a verb that means “have one’s hair stand on end”; compare Ezek 27.35 (“horribly afraid” in Revised Standard Version); 32.10 (“shudder” in Revised Standard Version).

Be … desolate translates a verb that literally means “be dried up.” It may be used in a nonfigurative sense of a city that is destroyed and left desolate (see Jer 26.9). Here it is used figuratively with the meaning “astonished, shocked.” In the translation of these three verbs the translator should select terms in his or her language which make a strong impact. It may be that some languages would do better with less than three terms.

Says the LORD can be rendered here as it was in verse 9.

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 .