Servants; that is, “officials,” as in 36.31.

As elsewhere in Jeremiah (see 16.12), listened has the sense “obeyed.”

The words of the LORD which he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet is more literally “the words of the LORD which he spoke at the hand of Jeremiah the prophet.” However, this is simply a Hebrew way of speaking, and should not be rendered literally. Good News Translation has “the message which the LORD had given me.”

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 .