The places round about Jerusalem refer to “the villages around Jerusalem” (Good News Translation).

Land of Benjamin is usually translated “territory of Benjamin.”

Shephelah (so also 32.44; 33.13) is a transliteration of the Hebrew term referring to the foothills west of Jerusalem between the Judean highlands and the Philistine plain. The text also mentions the hill country. To distinguish between the two terms, New International Version has “western foothills” and “hill country,” and Good News Translation has “foothills” and “mountains.” Certainly to retain just the name Shephelah does not communicate much to readers.

The Negeb is first referred to in 13.19. Good News Translation renders “southern Judah.”

Burnt offerings and sacrifices: See 6.20.

Cereal offerings (Good News Translation “grain offerings”): See 14.12.

Frankincense: See 6.20. Here it can be “incense they burn to worship me.”

Thank offerings translates a word that may mean either “songs of thanksgiving” (30.19) or “offering of thanksgiving,” as it does here and in 33.11. To translate it, translators may need to say “offerings of thanksgiving” or “offerings to thank the LORD.”

Since the LORD is speaking, Good News Translation translates the house of the LORD as “my Temple.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the temple.”

The sentence in the Hebrew text and Revised Standard Version is rather long. The main actions are shall come and bringing, which Good News Translation has as two sentences: “People will come … They will bring….” In many languages translators will find this a helpful model.

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 .