Therefore thus says the LORD: See 2.2.

Shepherds: As in verse 1, this is an image for the rulers of the people.

Who care for my people is best understood with the meaning “who were supposed to take care of his people” (see Good News Translation). However, most versions have just “who take care of my people.” In Hebrew care for and shepherds come from the same Hebrew root. The rulers were supposed to be as concerned for the needs of the people as shepherds are for their sheep.

In the construction, You have scattered, the pronoun You is emphatic.

My flock can be expressed as “my people” or “the people who are my flock.” Flock translates the same Hebrew word as “sheep” in the previous verse.

As Revised Standard Version indicates, there is a play on words between not attended to and will attend to. New Jerusalem Bible represents the wordplay by translating, “You … have not taken care of them … I shall take care of you….” In Hebrew the wordplay actually continues into verse 4, where the verb “shall … be missing” comes from the same root. It will be almost impossible to find a language in which the wordplay may be carried through successfully in all three instances, and it is even doubtful if this may be done in the two places of this verse with much success in most languages. But possibilities include “You have not taken care of them, but I will take care to see you are dealt with” and “You did not look after them, so I will watch to be sure you are dealt with.” Good News Translation does away with the wordplay entirely: “You have not taken care of … I am going to punish you….”

For Behold see 1.6.

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

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 .