Hear can be “Listen [to this].” In many languages it will be more natural to put O nations earlier in the verse: “Therefore, you nations, listen to this.”

The Hebrew word translated O congregation, if given slightly different vowel marks, would then become an infinitive form of the verb know. If this is the case, its function is to intensify the verb know, giving the meaning “know well.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“give close attention”) accepts this proposal, accompanied by a textual note. This is also the basis for Good News Translation “Listen, you nations, and learn what is going to happen to my people.” But at least one difficulty with this interpretation is that in Hebrew hear is a second masculine plural imperative, while know is a second feminine singular imperative. In Bright the second line is left blank, with a note indicating that it is “corrupt,” and that all solutions are problematic. As examples of what others have done, compare the following translations: “Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O earth, what I will do with them” (New American Bible); “Therefore listen, you nations, and tell to all your people!” (Luther 1984); “Hear then, O heavens, bear witness against them” (Moffatt); and “Therefore hear, O heavens, and learn well what shall befall them!” (An American Translation). The introduction of “O heavens” into the verse by Moffatt and An American Translation represents an attempt to draw a parallel with “Hear, O earth” of verse 19, but the phrase is without textual support. All in all, the best solution may be that of Revised English Bible: “Therefore hear, you nations, and take note, all you who witness it, of the plight of this people.”

Who the pronoun them refers to is often identified: “my people” (Good News Translation).

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 .