The cities of Judah obviously refers to “The inhabitants of the cities of Judah” (New English Bible) or simply “the people of Judah” (Good News Translation).

Cry to here means “cry out … for help” (Good News Translation), as in the previous verse.

Burn incense translates the same verb first used in 1.16. See 1.16 also for gods.

But they cannot save them: They refers to the gods, and them to the people. See Good News Translation “But those gods will not be able to save them.”

In the time of their trouble: See 2.27. As is clear in Good News Translation, the reference is to their destruction, not simply to a period of some difficulties or hardships.

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 .

Ah, Lord GOD, behold: See the comments at 1.6.

For prophets see 1.5.

As elsewhere, see can mean “to experience” (see 5.12). Therefore not see the sword can be “not experience warfare” or “not have to go to war.” Good News Translation “there will be no war” is also a good rendering.

But I will give you assured peace in this place: Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch shifts to indirect discourse and translates, “The Lord has promised that he will always protect this city.” The problem for translators is to ensure that readers understand that the pronoun I refers to the LORD who is speaking, according to the prophets. It does not refer to Jeremiah or to the prophets. Thus Good News Translation switches to “you.” Assured peace is translated “lasting peace” by New American Bible and New International Version; Revised English Bible has “lasting prosperity” and New Jerusalem Bible and New Revised Standard Version have “true peace.” The Hebrew expression is more literally “peace of reliability” or “peace of truth,” in the sense of a lasting and permanent peace.

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 .

You shall not take a wife is rendered “Do not marry” by Good News Translation and “You must not marry” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Note that shall in Revised Standard Version expresses a command, not a simple future.

Hebrew does not have a word that means “children,” which is the reason for saying nor shall you have sons or daughters. Both Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “Do not … have children.” It is also possible to render this verse “Do not marry or have a family….”

In this place means “in this land.” Some translations have “here.” Perhaps to show that Jeremiah is not to have a family because the land is polluted or doomed, Good News Translation has “in a place like this.” This does not seem necessary, however.

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 .

The hope of Israel is translated “on whom Israel’s hope is fixed” by Revised English Bible. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the only hope of Israel.” See also 14.8.

Shall be put to shame: For shame see 2.26. The agent who puts unfaithful people to shame may be either the LORD or Israel’s enemies. If this information must be included in translation, it may be best to assume that the subject is the LORD, as in “you will put to shame all who forsake you.”

The two verbs forsake and turn away from have essentially the same meaning. In Good News Translation they are combined as “abandon.” Most translators, however, retain the parallelism with a rendering such as “All who forsake you will be greatly shamed; all who turn from serving you….”

Note that in the Hebrew it is Jeremiah speaking to the LORD (thee) in the first two lines, but it is the LORD speaking (“me” in the Revised Standard Version footnote) in the second two. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have found it more natural to have Jeremiah speak throughout to the LORD (referred to as thee or “you”).

The meaning of the expression shall be written in the earth is unclear. Most frequently the meaning given is that the names of the persons who abandon the LORD will be written in the dust, where they soon vanish and are forgotten. Hence Good News Translation has “They will disappear like names written in the dust.” On the assumption that earth is here used of the world of the dead, some scholars propose the meaning “go to the world of the dead” (see the Good News Translation footnote). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible follows this interpretation and translates “those who abandon me are doomed.” This can also be expressed as “The names of those who abandon me are written in the land of the dead” or “Those who abandon me are destined for the land of the dead [or, are destined to die].”

Fountain of living water: See 2.13.

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 .

Then they said is translated “Then the people said” by Good News Translation and “There were some people who said” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch.

Come (used twice in this verse) serves as a transitional marker, encouraging people to do something (see also 48.2; a different Hebrew word is used similarly in 35.11; 50.5). In everyday English people can often say “Come on…” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Make plots against Jeremiah can be expressed as “plan to do something to Jeremiah” or “decide on a way to get Jeremiah out of our way.”

The plot against Jeremiah results from his message, which predicts a time when God will no longer speak to his people through priests, wise men, or prophets. For this reason, following let us make plots against Jeremiah, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch includes “He lies!” Revised Standard Version is ambiguous, and the Good News Translation restructuring suggests that if the people get rid of Jeremiah, there will still be the priests, wise men, and other prophets.

The law shall not perish from the priest essentially means either “the priests will not be lacking in instruction [to give us]” or “there will still be priests who can give us instruction.” Nor counsel from the wise means “the wise people will not lack in counsel [to give us]” or “there will still be wise people to counsel us,” and nor the word from the prophet can mean “the prophets will still be able to give us the word [or, message] from the LORD” or “we will still have prophets to give us the LORD’s word.” Translators can choose whichever of these pairs of alternative expressions that make the point most clearly in their language. The three negative statements (the law shall not … nor … nor …) may be better expressed as positive statements (see Good News Translation and the examples above). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is effective: “Never will our priests lack instruction, our skilled people good counsel, our prophets the word, which comes from God!”

In the present context law is best understood with the meaning of “instruction” (Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New American Bible), as Revised English Bible indicates: “There will still be priests to guide us.” A second group of people Israel expected guidance from were the wise (see 8.8-9). The third group Jeremiah directed himself against were the prophets (see 2.8; 14.13-16; 23.9-40). The word that comes from the prophet is the word or message from the LORD. The priest, the wise, and the prophet are singulars in form, but they refer to the priests, wise people, and prophets as groups. Consequently, many translations use plural forms. For priest see 1.1, and for prophet refer to 1.5.

Let us smite him with the tongue represents the Hebrew text, which is rendered “let us bring charges against him” by New Revised Standard Version. This is similar to “Let’s bring charges against him” in Good News Translation, “let us slander him” in New Jerusalem Bible, and “Let us invent some charges against him” in Revised English Bible. New American Bible (“let us destroy him by his own tongue”) follows the Syriac. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends that the Hebrew be followed.

Not heed any of his words is translated “stop listening to what he says” by Good News Translation, “pay no attention to his message” by New English Bible, and “pay no attention to anything he says” by New Jerusalem Bible. New American Bible “carefully note his every word” follows the Septuagint, and suggests that Jeremiah’s enemies want to get evidence against him in what he says.

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 .

Sing to the LORD: In many languages translators have to supply an object for “sing,” as in “Sing praises to the LORD” or “Sing songs of praise to the LORD,” in which case the first two lines are essentially combined into one. Another way to render this would be “Praise the LORD in song.”

He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers: Life translates the same word frequently rendered “soul” (see 4.10); and needy may also mean “oppressed” (Good News Translation). As in 15.21, hand refers to power. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates this part of the verse as “For he rescued the poor from the power of his 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 .

In Hebrew the pronoun you is emphatic, and thus contrasts with “your father.”

Compete in cedar refers to Jehoiakim’s attempt to outdo others in the use of this expensive building material. Good News Translation translates “… build houses of cedar, finer than those of others?” For the first two lines translators can also say “Does it make you king because you build a finer house of cedar wood than other people?” This rhetorical question could also be expressed as a statement: “Building a house out of cedar finer than other people’s does not make you a king.”

Did not your father eat and drink…?: The meaning may be either that Josiah enjoyed the material benefits of being king (Good News Translation “Your father enjoyed a full life”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Did not your father eat and drink well…?”) or else that he enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. New Jerusalem Bible (“Did your father go hungry or thirsty?”) and Bible en français courant (“Your father ate and drank as all the world”) would seem to emphasize Josiah’s humanity.

And do justice and righteousness indicates that Josiah’s lifestyle as king included doing those things that he was supposed to do. For do justice and righteousness, see verse 3.

The idea that the second rhetorical question conveys, then, is that Josiah accepted his responsibilities in both his daily habits and in fulfilling his covenant obligation as king. One way to express this is “Your father ate and drank like everyone else, but he also treated people justly and fairly.”

Then it was well with him: This is the interpretation of the text as represented in most translations. However, the meaning may be “He found pleasure in these things” (Bright “And enjoy himself”). Perhaps both ideas are intended. Translators can say “It [or, Things] went well with him because of this.”

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 .