Thus says the LORD: See 2.2.

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19.

You: Since this is a plural form in Hebrew, Good News Translation renders “You yourselves.” It is important to indicate the plural reference to the people, as opposed to Jeremiah who is addressed in verse 1. Translators can also say “You people.”

For evil in the sense of “disaster” or “destruction,” see 1.14.

Upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah: Since Jerusalem is also a city of Judah, we may need to translate “on Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Behold (see 1.6) here serves to highlight and call attention to the nature of the evil that the LORD brought upon Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah. New Revised Standard Version is a good model: “Look at them; today they are a….”

Desolation: See 7.34, where Revised Standard Version has “waste.”

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 .