From our youth: See 2.2. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “As long as we can remember” and Good News Translation “since ancient times.”

The shameful thing is a reference to the god Baal (see 11.13, where the identification is made in the text itself). Thus “Baal, the god of shame” is the choice of Good News Translation, while Luther 1984 and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “The shameful Baal.” New English Bible has “Baal, god of shame.” Shameful means “disgraceful” or “despicable.”

All for which … labored translates one word in Hebrew which may mean either “labor” or “something earned by labor.” Thus all for which our fathers labored is actually a noun construction in Hebrew: “the labor of our fathers.” The reference is to what follows, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. For fathers refer to verse 18.

Their flocks and their herds can be rendered “their sheep and cattle.”

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes verse 24 into two sentences:

• The shameful Baal has devoured everything our ancestors have acquired. As long as we can remember, he has devoured our sheep and cattle and our sons and daughters.

In many languages the image devoured will be clearly understood, but others will find it helpful to look at Good News Translation “the worship of … has made us lose.” Another example is:

• As long as we can remember that shameful god Baal has cost us everything our ancestors worked for; we have lost flocks and herds and sons and daughters.

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 .