Their camels shall become booty, their herds of cattle a spoil: Since booty and spoil are equivalent in meaning, we may render the first two lines of this verse as “Take their camels and all their livestock!” (Good News Translation). If necessary, translators can add “as spoils of war.” Camels and herds of cattle are “camels and all their livestock” in Good News Translation. If camels are unknown, and the translation used is a descriptive phrase, the sentence might become cumbersome. If this is the case, translators can use a general expression such as “all their herds.” For cattle see 9.10.

The LORD will scatter the people to every wind, that is, “in every direction” (Good News Translation).

Those who cut the corners of their hair: See 9.26.

Calamity: This word is first used in 18.17, then in 46.21; 48.16; 49.8. I will bring their calamity from every side of them is rendered “I will bring disaster on them from every side” by Good News Translation. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “from all sides I will permit destruction to come on them!”

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

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 .