Thus says the LORD: See 2.2.

Behold: See 1.6.

I will stir up … against can be expressed as “I will inspire to go against” or “I will send to attack.”

The spirit of a destroyer is rendered either “a destroying wind” or “a destructive wind” by New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Good News Translation, and Bible en français courant. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “a devastating storm.” The problem is that the Hebrew word may mean either “spirit” or “wind.” If this verse is interpreted in light of “the spirit of the kings of the Medes” (verse 11), then the meaning here would be “I will stir up someone to destroy Babylon.” Either interpretation is acceptable.

As the Revised Standard Version note indicates, the inhabitants of Chaldea is its rendering of a cryptic expression in Hebrew, which is transliterated “Leb-qamai,” but which is literally “the heart of those who rise up against me.” This is the same kind of cipher that is found in 25.26, where the letters of one name, counted from the beginning of the alphabet, are exchanged for corresponding letters counted from the end. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project proposes rendering “the heart of my enemies,” with a note indicating that this designates the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Thus the verse could be rendered “I am sending someone [or, a wind] to destroy the Babylonians who are the very heart of my enemies.”

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 .