As discussed at verse 16, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has a section heading here: “People who will not listen.” Translators who find that helpful for their readers can use a heading such as “The people persist in disobeying God,” “God requires obedience, not sacrifice,” or “God requires the people to obey, not to make sacrifices.”

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19. See also 7.3 for the God of Israel.

Burnt offerings (see 6.20) were completely consumed on the altar, while certain portions of sacrifices could be eaten by those persons who offered them to the LORD.

Add … and eat the flesh is intended to be a sarcastic remark. The LORD is telling the people that they may as well eat the burnt offerings, as they do other sacrifices, since none of their offerings and sacrifices are acceptable to him. Thus Good News Translation translates “some sacrifices you burn completely on the altar, and some you are permitted to eat. But what I, the LORD, say is that you might as well eat them all.” Another way to handle this is “Take the offerings you are supposed to burn up completely, and eat them along with the other animals you sacrifice. It doesn’t matter.”

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 .