Therefore, behold, the days are coming: See 7.32.

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

I shall send to him tilters who will tilt him: The illustration of wine continues in this verse also. Tilters are the persons who worked in wine cellars and poured the wine from one container to another. The imagery comes through clearly in Good News Translation, where the metaphor is shifted to a simile: “I will send people to pour Moab out like wine.” New Jerusalem Bible retains the metaphor, but is more difficult for the average reader: “I shall send him decanters to decant him.” Probably for most translators who are not familiar with winemaking, “I will send … people to pour the wine out” will be the best translation.

Empty his vessels, and break his jars in pieces: Good News Translation shifts to a neuter pronoun to refer to Moab with “They will empty its wine jars and break them in pieces.” New Jerusalem Bible retains the masculine reference with “they will empty his pitchers and break his wine jars to bits.” However, the shift to a feminine pronoun, as in New International Version (“they will empty her jars and smash her jugs”) is not so appropriate. The vessels are wine jars. In instances where it is difficult to find different terms for containers that sound natural, translators may follow Good News Translation and use a noun plus pronoun: “wine jars … them.”

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 .