Jeremiah 13:17

13:17 But if you will not pay attention to this warning, ¹ 

I will weep alone because of your arrogant pride.

I will weep bitterly and my eyes will overflow with tears ² 

because you, the Lord’s flock, ³  will be carried ⁴  into exile.”

Ecclesiastes 9:4

Better to Be Poor but Alive than Rich but Dead

9:4 But whoever is among ⁵  the living ⁶  has hope;

a live dog is better than a dead lion.

¹ tn Heb “If you will not listen to it.” For the use of the feminine singular pronoun to refer to the idea(s) expressed in the preceding verse(s), see GKC 440-41 §135.p.

² tn Heb “Tearing [my eye] will tear and my eye will run down [= flow] with tears.”

³ tn Heb “because the Lord’s flock will…” The pronoun “you” is supplied in the translation to avoid the shift in English from the second person address at the beginning to the third person affirmation at the end. It also helps explain the metaphor of the people of Israel as God’s flock for some readers who may be unfamiliar with that metaphor.

⁴ tn The verb is once again in the form of “as good as done” (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).

⁵ tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “is chosen, selected.” The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), “is joined.” See BDB 288 s.v. חָבַר Pu.

⁶ tn Heb “all the living.”