Verses 15-17 announce the approach of the enemy, while verse 18 explains that the cause of the attack is Israel’s rebellion against the LORD.

Most English translations find it more natural to drop the transition For than to retain it. Certainly something like “Because” would emphasize it too much.

A voice may more precisely be identified as “Messengers” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible uses an impersonal construction: “someone proclaims … someone announces….”

Dan is frequently identified as the northernmost point in Israel; for example, “from Dan to Beersheba” is the generally accepted expression for referring to the entire country, from north to south (Jdg 20.1; 1Sam 3.20; 2Sam 3.10; 17.11; 24.2; 2Chr 30.5; Amos 8.14). For readers who may not recognize this about Dan, it may be helpful to say “the country [or, city] of Dan in the north.”

Mount Ephraim is better rendered “the hills of Ephraim,” which lay just a few kilometers north of Jerusalem. Thus the messengers are announcing the progress of the enemy army as it advances toward the city of Jerusalem.

Evil, understood either as “bad news” (Good News Translation) or “destruction” (New American Bible), translates the same noun used in verse 14, where it is rendered “wickedness”; here it functions as the object of both declares and proclaims. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders the entire verse:

• Listen: Messengers bring bad news from Dan and the hills of Ephraim!

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 .