The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD is similar in structure to “Now the word of the LORD came to me saying” in 1.4. Many translators make this a complete sentence: “This is the message that the LORD gave Jeremiah [or, me]. He said….”

However, verses 1-3 are structurally complicated because of the Hebrew preference for direct discourse, which leads to a series of at least four quotations within quotations. To avoid the complications that this would bring to English readers, Good News Translation places verses 1-3 together and uses two levels of indirect discourse followed by two levels of direct discourse. The result is a much simpler construction for native speakers of English. Translators are encouraged to find a natural way to handle this problem in their languages.

Here Jeremiah is commanded to Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, while on another occasion he was told to “Stand in the court of the LORD’s house” (26.2). The gate of the LORD’s house is “the gate of the Temple” in Good News Translation. It could also be “the entrance of the temple.”

Hear the word of the LORD can be rendered “Listen to this message from the LORD.” In many languages the address to all you men of Judah would more naturally occur first in his address, as in “You people of Judah, listen to this word from the LORD.” Notice that Revised English Bible renders men as “you,” and New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have “people,” indicating that women were not excluded from this sermon.

In place of Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Listen, you people of Judah! Listen all who enter the temple through these gates to worship the Lord!” Translators will have to do whatever is most natural for their language. Another possibility is “All you people of Judah, you who are coming [or, going] through these gates on your way to worship the LORD, pay attention to this message from him.”

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19. It is important for readers to realize that the LORD of hosts and the God of Israel refer to the same person. Translators may say “LORD of the entire world who is the God of Israel [or, the God Israel worships].”

For Thus says the LORD, see 2.2.

Amend is translated “Change” by Good News Translation. If translators have a word or phrase which means to change for the better, to reform or to correct, that is closer to the actual meaning. The translation for Amend your ways and your doings could even be “All the things you are doing, make them good instead of bad.”

Your ways and your doings may need to be changed to a subject plus verb construction: “the way you are living and the things you are doing” (Good News Translation). Inasmuch as ways and doings are essentially equivalent in meaning, Bright translates “Reform the whole pattern of your conduct.” The same expression occurs again in verse 5.

And has the sense here of “And then….”

I will let you dwell translates the Hebrew, which is followed by Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Revised English Bible, and others. It is possible to give different vowel marks to the Hebrew and render “I will dwell with you,” which is followed by Bright, Luther 1984, New American Bible, and others. One scholar argues that the vowels of the Hebrew as it stands would make this place a reference to the country of Judah, thus affirming the LORD’s protection of the nation. The alternative form of the text, he notes, would suggest that this place is a reference to the temple, and so is better suited to the context. The resulting translation for the last sentence would be “Reform your ways and I will continue to dwell here in this temple.” On the other hand, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project is of the opinion that the alternative rendering is an attempt to make a more difficult text easier. Thus they propose that the Hebrew be followed. Translators therefore usually say something such as “If you replace your bad behavior with good, then I will let you continue to dwell in this land.”

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 .