Thus says the LORD: See 2.2. In this verse Jeremiah is continuing with the message from the previous verse, so the clause can either be dropped or rendered by an expression such as in Good News Translation “I was also telling them that the LORD had said.”

This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon: If this is understood as the action of God, then we may translate “The LORD will give this city….” Or if we do not necessarily understand Jeremiah to be referring to the work of the LORD, then another active form may be substituted: “The king of Babylon and his army will surely capture this city.” Good News Translation follows the first interpretation: “I [the LORD is speaking] am going to give the city to the Babylonian army.” As elsewhere, the hand of means “the power [or, control] of.” See 15.21.

Good News Translation has rendered the passive be taken by the active “they will capture it.”

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 .