Behold here serves as an attention-getter. See 1.6.

In both of its occurrences in this verse (I begin … I am), the pronoun I is emphatic in the Hebrew text.

I begin to work evil is here the equivalent of “I will begin my work of destruction” (Good News Translation) or “I begin the punishment” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). For evil see 1.14.

The city which is called by my name (that is, Jerusalem) may be translated “my own city” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Shall you go unpunished? is a rhetorical question that expects and receives a negative reply, You shall not go unpunished. The argument is from the greater to the lesser: If the LORD punishes the people he loves, how much more is he certain to punish those who have mistreated his people. The double negative You shall not go unpunished may have to be rendered by a positive statement, but the negative reply can still be retained: “Do you think you will go unpunished? Not at all. You will surely be punished.” If their language requires an active construction, translators can say, for example, “Do you think I won’t punish you? You are wrong, because I will surely punish you.”

I am summoning a sword against may be translated “I am going to send war on” (so Good News Translation).

Says the LORD of hosts: 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 .