Good News Translation combines verses 19-20 into a parenthetical statement. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch places together verses 19-21, and does not use parentheses.

The pillars, the sea, the stands: For these features of the temple, see 1Kgs 7.15-39. The pillars can be “the pillars of bronze in the temple.” If bronze is unknown, translators can say “metal.” The sea was a large tank, also made of metal, probably bronze. Translators can say, for example, “large [metal] water tank.” The stands were movable stands for smaller basins of water. Because they were on wheels, Good News Translation has translated them “carts.” Translators can say something like “movable stands for basins” or “carts that held basins of water.”

Some of the vessels … are left in this city is translated “left … the other Temple treasures” by Good News Translation. This translation makes it sound as if nothing was left in the royal palace. It is better therefore either to have “left in the city” or “left in the palace and temple.”

For Jeconiah (Good News Translation “Jehoiachin”), see “Coniah” in 22.24.

For nobles refer to 14.3, where the Hebrew is different but the meaning is similar.

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 .