In translation it should be made clear that He who (used twice in this verse) refers back to the people of Moab of verse 43: “Whoever” (Good News Translation). Moreover, it would be good if the verse could be rendered in the form of a proverb.

I will bring these things: As the Revised Standard Version note indicates, these things translates the Septuagint; the Hebrew has “to her.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends following the Hebrew and translating, “I will bring upon her, upon Moab….” This is the interpretation followed by Good News Translation, which takes the year of their punishment (see 11.23; 23.12) as the object of the verb bring … upon: “because the LORD has set the time for Moab’s destruction.” This seems the most helpful model for translators. Evidently, New International Version follows the same interpretation: “I will bring upon Moab the year of her punishment.”

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

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 .

Their tents and their flocks shall be taken is the equivalent of an imperative: “Seize their tents and their flocks” (Good News Translation). These and the other things mentioned in this verse are the typical possessions of nomadic tribes. For tents see 4.20; for flocks see 3.24.

Curtains; that is, “tent hangings.” Good News Translation has “tent curtains”; see 4.20.

Their camels shall be borne away from them may be rendered “Take away their camels.” If camels are not known, in this verse a very general word such as “herds” or “herds of beasts of burden” can be used. See 2.23.

Terror on every side!: See 6.25.

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 noise of battle is in the land: It may be necessary to render is as “is heard” (Good News Translation).

Great destruction: See 4.6.

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders the verse “Already one hears the noise of war in the land, already everything sinks in ruins.” Or the last part of this can be “… and already great destruction is taking place.”

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 .

Set up a standard against is best understood in the sense of Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and others: “Give the signal to attack.”

Make the watch strong is more naturally expressed as “Strengthen the guard!” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible). The idea is to reinforce the soldiers assigned as guards, that is, to add to them. It can be helpful to render this as “Increase the number of the guards.”

Set up watchmen is translated “Post the sentries!” by both New Jerusalem Bible and Good News Translation, while New American Bible has “Post sentries.” This is the interpretation of the text accepted by most, though some scholars feel the meaning is “Set up the road blocks!” (Bright). In this case the command would not be to post sentries for security, but rather to station men in positions to ward off sudden enemy attacks. This is seen to balance out with the following command (prepare the ambushes) by which other men would be placed in a position to make a sudden attack on the enemy. However, this is not the interpretation followed by most commentators, and translators will usually say something such as “Assign men to be sentries” or “Assign men to watch that no one comes by.”

Prepare the ambushes means to put men in hiding to make a surprise attack. In this case it would be to catch any who try to escape from the city. Translators can say, for example, “Put men in hiding to attack people who flee.”

For the LORD has both planned and done what he spoke is expressed more briefly by Good News Translation as “The LORD has done what he said he would do.” The verb planned is the same one rendered “purposed” by Revised Standard Version in 4.28.

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 .

Both Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch include in the text the information that the LORD’s people are now speaking, while Bible en français courant indicates the speakers by a section heading.

Put to shame is a frequently used verb in Jeremiah; see verse 47.

We have heard reproach: Reproach is first used in 6.10, where it is rendered “object of scorn” by Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation translates heard reproach as “made ashamed,” while Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “mocked.” Translators can say, for example, “we have heard people making fun of us.”

Dishonor has covered our face may be an unnatural idiom for many languages, as it is in English. The noun translated dishonor is used in Jeremiah elsewhere only in 3.25; 20.11. Its basic meaning is something like “disgrace” or “insult,” though New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Bright render by “confusion,” and Good News Translation has “completely helpless.” By a slight shift, New Jerusalem Bible produces a figure of speech which is more natural for English readers: “we were covered in confusion.” We could also say “We were covered with shame.”

Aliens have come into the holy places of the LORD’s house: Aliens is better rendered “foreigners” (Good News Translation). They have come into the temple, which is the most common rendering. Many languages will require “gone into.” Good News Translation makes it more than this with “taken over.” The LORD’s house is a reference to “the LORD’s temple,” which was in itself holy, but which could be spoken of as having several holy places on its premises. The concept holy always in some way relates to God, either because he is there, or something is dedicated to him, or it comes from him. Thus holy places in the temple could be places for the worship of God, or where he was known to dwell or to communicate with the priests. In this verse translators who do not have a good word for holy can say something like “the places in the temple that are for God,” “God’s special places in the temple,” or “the places for worshiping the LORD in the temple.”

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 two pillars … the one sea … the stands: See verse 17 and 27.19. The two pillars are described in some detail in verses 21-23. As the Revised Standard Version note indicates, under the sea is literally “under” (without an object) in Hebrew. However, it is possible to translate without a note, as in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (“the twelve bronze bulls which supported the moveable stands”) or New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh (“the one tank and the twelve bronze oxen which supported it”). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project proposes rendering this part of the verse as “the two columns, the one sea and the twelve bronze bulls which were underneath, and the stands.”

From Revised Standard Version English readers could get the impression that it was only the stands that Solomon the king had made. But in fact it was all the things listed in this verse that he made. Good News Translation makes this clear by beginning the list with “The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple….” Translators may wish to vary this somewhat by saying, for example, “King Solomon had made some objects of bronze for the temple. They were … They were too heavy to weigh.”

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 .

Holy to the LORD is a parallel expression to the first fruits of his harvest. The root meaning of the word holy is “set apart” (Moffatt). Thus Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates holy to the LORD as “reserved for the LORD.” Both Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Good News Translation use direct speech for the LORD’s words in verses 2-3, and so translate “you belonged to me alone.”

In fact we see in this verse something that happens a great deal in the prophetic writings, and that is where within the same utterance of the LORD he will switch from addressing Israel as “you” to speaking of them as “they” or “he.”

The first fruits of his harvest is a literal translation of a technical term used in ancient Israel. The reference is to the first portion taken from the crops (this was considered the best). By presenting this part of the harvest to the LORD, the ancient Israelites acknowledged that in reality it all belonged to him. After making this presentation to the LORD, they were then allowed to use the remainder for their own benefit. If first fruits is rendered literally, it will probably require a footnote. Of course, first fruits is often rendered as “first part of the harvest” or “first crops [harvested].” Otherwise, it is possible to translate more meaningfully, in the tradition of Good News Translation: “you were my sacred possession.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the first sentence of this verse as “At that time you belonged to me alone, as the first fruit of the harvest.”

All who ate of it became guilty continues the imagery of the first fruits of his harvest. In the same way that an Israelite who ate this sacred portion of the harvest was considered guilty and deserving punishment, so God himself punished those people who ate (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “laid hands on”) the people who belonged to him. Whether translators decide to retain the image of eating or use an expression such as “touched” (Bible en français courant) or “laid hands on” will depend partially on what they did with first fruits. What is important is that readers recognize that the LORD is speaking of anyone harming Israel, who belongs to him alone.

Evil came upon them is an impersonal way of describing God’s action of punishing Israel’s enemies. New Revised Standard Version has “disaster came upon them.” Good News Translation reverses the order of the clauses in All who … upon them and translates with the LORD as subject: “I sent suffering and disaster on everyone who hurt you.”

Says the LORD: See the comment at 1.8.

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 .