Jeremiah 29:16

29:16 But just listen to what the Lord has to say about ¹  the king who occupies David’s throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this city of Jerusalem ²  and were not carried off into exile with you.

Jeremiah 40:10

40:10 I for my part will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians ³  whenever they come to us. You for your part go ahead and harvest the wine, the dates, the figs, ⁴  and the olive oil, and store them in jars. Go ahead and settle down in the towns that you have taken over.” ⁵ 

Jeremiah 47:2

47:2 “Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river. ⁶ 

They will be like an overflowing stream.

They will overwhelm the whole country and everything in it like a flood.

They will overwhelm the cities and their inhabitants.

People will cry out in alarm.

Everyone living in the country will cry out in pain.

Jeremiah 49:30

49:30 The Lord says, ⁷  “Flee quickly, you who live in Hazor. ⁸ 

Take up refuge in remote places. ⁹ 

For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid out plans to attack you.

He has formed his strategy on how to defeat you.” ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Heb “But thus says the Lord about.” The words “just listen to what” are supplied in the translation to help show the connection with the preceding.

² tn The words “of Jerusalem” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and avoid the possible confusion that “this city” refers to Babylon.

³ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

⁴ tn Heb “summer fruit.” “Summer fruit” is meaningless to most modern readers; dates and figs are what is involved.

⁵ tn This plus “Things will go well with you” is in essence the substance of the oath. The pronouns are emphatic, “And I, behold I will stay…and you, you may gather.” The imperatives in the second half of the verse are more a form of permission than of command or advice (cf. NJPS, REB, TEV and compare the usage in 40:4 and the references in the translator’s note there).

⁵ tn Heb “Behold! Waters are rising from the north.” The metaphor of enemy armies compared to overflowing water is seen also in Isa 8:8-9 (Assyria) and 46:7-8 (Egypt). Here it refers to the foe from the north (Jer 1:14; 4:6; etc) which is specifically identified with Babylon in Jer 25. The metaphor has been turned into a simile in the translation to help the average reader identify that a figure is involved and to hint at the referent.

⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁸ map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.

⁹ tn Heb “Make deep to dwell.” See Jer 49:8 and the translator’s note there. The use of this same phrase here argues against the alternative there of going down from a height and going back home.

¹⁰ tn Heb “has counseled a counsel against you, has planned a plan against you.”