For the third time in this chapter, Job emphasizes his message by calling for attention. Listen carefully to my words: Job’s call for a hearing is in the prophetic style of Isaiah 6.9, which is literally a double verb, “Hear and hear.” The same formula will be repeated by Job again in 21.2 and by Elihu in 37.2.

And let my declaration be in your ears: in line b there is no verb; instead in your ears parallels the double verb translated Listen carefully in line a. (See also 15.21.) Declaration refers to the argument that Job will set forth. Good News Translation “explanation” is to be preferred. The two lines of verse 17 are typical of parallelism in which line b heightens the poetic tone through the use of a figure of speech, in your ears. Good News Translation does not handle the poetic intensification, and reduces the two lines to one. Verse 17 may be rendered, for example, “Listen carefully to what I have to say, and think about what I will explain to you” or “Listen to what I say, and pay attention to the words of my argument.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .