In most languages Jeremiah does not need to be identified as the prophet.

Nebuchadrezzar; as elsewhere, “Nebuchadnezzar.” See 21.2.

To smite the land of Egypt; that is, “to attack Egypt” (Good News Translation). For Egypt’s fate, see 43.10-13.

In most languages it will be necessary to restructure verse 13 as one or more complete sentences. An example is:

• The LORD told Jeremiah that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, would come [or, go] to attack Egypt. He said….

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 .

Verse 10 is a parenthetical comment in prose, and for this reason it is set off in parentheses by Good News Translation. In Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch parentheses are not used, though the verse is given a separate paragraph.

Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness: Many languages require that the agent of the cursing be given (see 11.3). In this case, it should perhaps be the LORD: “May the LORD curse anyone…” or “The LORD will bring evil on anyone….” He is used to refer to “any person,” not just to men. As Good News Translation has it, with slackness means to not put your whole heart into something.

Cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed: Good News Translation uses more modern imagery with the rendering “Curse those who do not slash and kill!” Translators who want to retain some of the image of the text can say something like “May the LORD curse any person who won’t bloody his sword in killing” or “… who won’t smear his sword with blood.” Obviously, in this case, killing the people of Moab was a task given by the LORD.

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 the shadow of Heshbon: For Heshbon see verse 2. The shadow of is best understood in the sense of “the shelter of” (New Jerusalem Bible), which is the basis for Good News Translation “try to find protection in Heshbon.”

Fugitives … without strength are “Helpless refugees” (Good News Translation) or “fugitives … exhausted” (New Jerusalem Bible).

A fire has gone forth from Heshbon: Not only is the city on fire, but the fire has spread out from the city to burn its surroundings. This line is in parallel with the next one, a flame from the house of Sihon. Sihon was an Amorite king who once ruled the city of Heshbon (Deut 2.26, 30). Jeremiah is still making the point that the city of Heshbon, once ruled by King Sihon, is now on fire, and the fire has spread throughout all of Moab. For these two lines translators can say something like “For a fire has blazed forth from the city of Heshbon; yes, out of the headquarters of King Sihon come the flames.”

It has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult: Good News Translation understands forehead to mean “frontiers” and crown to mean “mountain heights.” Most other translations are fairly literal, though Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bible en français courant render the two expressions as “from the edge to the center of Moab.” The sons of tumult is a Hebrew idiom, which is rendered “a turbulent brood” by New Jerusalem Bible and “the noisy boasters” by New International Version. Good News Translation prefers “the war-loving people.” If translators see value in the interpretation of Good News Translation, they can restructure its rendering of these two lines slightly: “Fire has burned all from the frontiers to the mountain heights of the Moabites, these war-loving people.”

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 .

Whereas verses 28b-29 were a command to attack, verse 30 is a warning to those who are being attacked. Good News Translation makes this switch clear with “People of Hazor…” at the beginning of the verse.

Flee, wander far away is rendered “run far away” by Good News Translation, while “hide” is its rendering of dwell in the depths. For this expression, see verse 8.

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

Since made a plan against you is essentially equivalent to formed a purpose against you, it may be more effective in many languages to render them by one verb: “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has plotted against you” (Good News Translation) or “… has made plans on how to defeat you.”

Good News Translation introduces “and this is what he says” at the end of this verse in order to indicate that verse 31 represents the plan devised by Nebuchadnezzar. However, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch handles the text differently: “31 I myself, the Lord, have given the Babylonians this command: ‘Attack these carefree, unsuspecting people….’ ” This is clearly the superior translation, because in verse 31 says the LORD indicates that it is the LORD who is encouraging the attack.

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 constructions that begin with How in Revised Standard Version are strong affirmations. Translators can sometimes say “See how,” but in other cases they may use an expression such as “Look….”

The hammer of the whole earth: For the imagery of the hammer, see 23.29, and for its application to Babylonia, see 51.20-23. Both Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Good News Translation identify Babylonia as the hammer, though they each handle it differently: “Babylon, you are a hammer…” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); “Babylonia hammered…” (Good News Translation). The figure is a true description of that nation, which had beaten other nations into subjection as though it was using a hammer on them. For the first two lines translators can say, for example, “Babylon was like a hammer that hit [or, hammered] the whole world. But now it has no power, for it is broken.”

Cut down: For many English readers this would make them think of what someone does to a tree; New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, and Good News Translation prefer “shattered.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders the first two lines as “How the hammer of the whole earth is broken in pieces, shattered!”

A horror: The term is first used in 2.15, where it is rendered “waste” by Good News Translation. Here the last two lines can be expressed as “Babylon has become something that horrifies all the nations.”

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 .

O you who dwell by many waters is clearly the city of Babylon. The waters would be the Euphrates River and the various channels that flowed from it to water the Babylonian farmland. See 50.38. Good News Translation makes this a statement, “That country has many rivers,” but it can also be retained as a form of address, “You people who live beside many rivers.”

Rich in treasures is possibly a reference to the riches that flowed into Babylonia from the conquered nations. Translators can say something like “you are very wealthy” or “you have an abundance of treasures.”

Your end has come, the thread of your life is cut: The thread of your life is cut is a metaphor taken from weaving. See, for example, Isa 38.12, where death is symbolized by the cutting of the web from the loom. For most languages this will be a metaphor that is not easily understood. Bible en français courant renders “the measure is complete,” with the note “or the thread of your life is cut.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the two lines as “Your time has run out, you have plundered enough!” Good News Translation, on the other hand, attempts to explain the meaning and retains something of the metaphor: “but its time is up, and its thread of life is cut.” Some translators will be able to use a simile; for example, “You are finished; your life is ended just like someone cuts a thread.” Others will prefer to drop the image: “You are finished; your time of living is ended.”

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 .

By a section heading Bible en français courant indicates that the LORD is now speaking. The content of this verse is essentially the same as that of verse 47.

Execute judgment here means the same as “punish” there.

Through all her land the wounded shall groan; that is, “Everywhere in the land there will be wounded people groaning in pain.”

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 .