Wretched will be those who afflicted you: The word Wretched appears three times in these verses. There is really no better English adjective to express the Greek term here, but it is not a particularly common word. Words like “wretched,” “craven,” “miserable,” “woeful,” “sorry,” “cowardly,” and “woebegone” express different aspects of the idea. It is the opposite of “blessed, happy.” English can get the idea across better as a noun, and Good News Translation has done well indeed in its use of “Misery will come to … Misery will come to … Misery will be the fate of….” Perhaps the idea could be approached in negative terms: “There will be no hope for…” or “People who have mistreated you will have no hope [or, will have only misery].”

Those who afflicted you: The Greek verb rendered afflicted is not an especially strong one; perhaps for this reason New Revised Standard Version has changed afflicted to “mistreated” (also Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). But this may be too weak. Afflicted refers to very bad treatment that often includes violence. “Abused” or “tormented” would be possibilities, but a better approach for the whole line might be something like “Misery will come to those who did you such harm,” or even “Those who did you such harm will be miserable.” That wording may gain strength through understatement, and that is the goal here.

Rejoiced at your fall: Good News Translation uncharacteristically keeps the verb “rejoice,” but “were happy [or, glad]” would be altogether too weak. The verse is referring to people who were positively gleeful. New English Bible does a good job with “gloated over your fall,” and Contemporary English Version “celebrated your destruction” is also possible. Your fall of course refers to the defeat and destruction of the city by the enemy. New American Bible has “your downfall.” An alternative rendering for the whole line is “celebrated [or, gloated] when your enemies destroyed you.”

Which your children served as slaves can be simplified. The Good News Translation rendering does this, but “where your children were slaves” is even simpler.

Wretched will be the city which received your sons: Good News Translation “swallowed up” is vivid, but it seems unrelated to the Greek word here, which is literally “received.” The rather colorless “received” is actually often used with persons as the object in a favorable sense: “extended hospitality toward” or “received as a guest.” It assuredly does not have that sense here, but it is possibly used ironically. Good News Translation identifies the city as “Babylon,” which is surely meant. (Actually even Revised Standard Version has made an insertion here; the text only says “… she who received your sons.”) Sons is only a parallel with children in the previous line; it is not necessarily speaking of sons as opposed to daughters.

It is quite possible to combine the two lines of verse 32 as follows:

• Misery will be the fate of Babylon and all the cities that took your children as slaves.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.