If you do not listen, as elsewhere, is “if you do not obey” (see verse 24). Good News Translation changes it to a positive statement: “they must obey.”

For keep the sabbath holy, see verse 22.

For bear a burden … on the sabbath day, see verse 21.

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders the first part of this verse as follows: “But if you do not listen to me, if you treat the Sabbath as any other day on which you carry loads through the gates of Jerusalem.”

I will kindle a fire in its gates means “I will set its gates on fire.”

For palaces see 6.5.

Another way to translate the whole verse is:

• But if you do not obey what I have said about observing the day of rest to honor me, and instead carry loads into Jerusalem, then I will set fire to the gates, and the fire will destroy [or, consume] the palaces of Jerusalem. No one will be able to put that fire out.

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 .