Took: The sense is “took charge of” (New American Bible, Good News Translation) or “took responsibility for” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Whom Ishmael … had carried away captive represents a slight alteration of the Hebrew text, and is followed also by New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and Luther 1984. However, the Hebrew actually has “whom he had rescued from Ishmael,” and this is the proposal of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. Translators who follow this proposal will have a rendering such as “whom he had recovered from Ishmael” (New International Version).

The people are further identified as soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation make the identification by setting off these four groups by a dash. However, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch uses a complete sentence: “There were men, women, and children, and among the men also officials and men of war.” For the possibility that eunuchs may be rendered “officials,” see 29.2.

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 .