For the understanding of shepherds as leaders or rulers, see 2.8; 3.15. Good News Translation completely does away with the imagery by translating “kings”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is able to maintain the imagery by using a noun that means “shepherds of people.” It is possible to use a comparison; for example, “Kings will come with their soldiers, as shepherds come with their sheep….” Bible en français courant is similar: “People come against her, like shepherds with their flocks.” It would seem advisable either to change the imagery entirely or to use a comparison, since in verses 4-5 the shepherds and flocks speak out.

Come against can also be “come on the attack.”

Translators in areas where tents are unknown may say “they will make their camps all around her.”

They shall pasture, each in his place is more literally “they shall pasture each one his hand.” A similar idiom is used in 2Sam 19.43, where “ten shares” of Revised Standard Version is literally “ten hands.” In 2Kgs 11.7 “two divisions” is literally “two hands.” Thus in such a context “hand” has the extended meaning of “share” or “part.” Good News Translation translates each in his place as “wherever he wants” and New Jerusalem Bible “his part.”

Pasture as a verb can be translated as “lead his flocks” or “feed his sheep.” The last line can be, therefore, “Each shepherd will have his own area to graze his sheep.”

Translators who drop the imagery, and use “kings” instead of shepherds, can follow Good News Translation. Others will use a comparison; for example:

• Like shepherds with their flocks, kings will come with their troops against Jerusalem. They will each take an area for their camp to settle the soldiers, like sheep grazing.

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 .