Jeremiah 39:12

39:12 “Find Jeremiah ¹  and look out for him. ²  Do not do anything to harm him, ³  but do with him whatever he tells you.”

Jeremiah 38:12

38:12 Ebed Melech ⁴  called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and worn-out clothes under your armpits to pad the ropes. ⁵  Jeremiah did as Ebed Melech instructed. ⁶ 

[39:12]  ¹ tn Heb “Get [or fetch] him.” The referent is supplied for clarity.

[39:12]  ² tn Or “take care of him”; Heb “set your eyes on him.” For the meaning of this idiom see BDB 963 s.v. שִׂים 2.c and compare 24:6 where the phrase “for good” is added.

[39:12]  ³ tn Heb “Don’t do anything evil [= harmful] to him.”

[38:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “Ebed Melech the Ethiopian.” The words “the Ethiopian” are unnecessary and are not repeated in the translation because he has already been identified as such in vv. 7, 10.

[38:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “under the joints of your arms under the ropes.” The two uses of “under” have different orientations and are best reflected by “between your armpits and the ropes” or “under your armpits to pad the ropes.”

[38:12]  ⁶ tn Or “Jeremiah did so.” The alternate translation is what the text reads literally.