I will terrify Elam before their enemies: Good News Translation has “I will make the people of Elam afraid of their enemies.”

Since their enemies are the same as those who seek their life, we may render “their enemies, who want to kill them” (Good News Translation). See 19.9.

Evil here has the sense of “destruction” or “disaster” (see 1.14).

Good News Translation renders my fierce anger (see 4.8) as “In my great anger.” In the context this seems to fit better than the translations that see the LORD’s anger to be the evil, as in “I shall bring disaster on them, my burning anger” (New Jerusalem Bible). Also, Good News Translation reverses the order of the two phrases so as to be more natural: “In my great anger I will destroy the people of Elam.”

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them: See 9.16. The sword is equivalent to “war” (see 5.12). In this context Good News Translation renders I will send the sword after them as “I will … send armies against them.” Until I have consumed them may be rendered “until I have destroyed them completely.”

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 .