Saying leaves it unclear whether it is the prophets of old or the LORD who spoke. Good News Translation opts for the former with “They told you,” but a number of other translations prefer the latter; for example, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “He said to you.” Since it is not certain, an impersonal expression such as “It was said” is good in languages that use it, or New Jerusalem Bible is helpful with “The message was this.” As in these examples, many translators will begin a new sentence here.

Turn now … and dwell upon the land may give a wrong impression regarding the meaning of the text. Turn now … is the condition that the LORD sets for allowing the people to dwell upon the land. New English Bible is clear: “If … you will turn … then you shall for ever live on the soil.” Good News Translation has “turn … so that you could go on living in the land.” We may also render “turn … and the LORD will let you go on living in the land.”

Turn … from his evil way and wrong doings: As elsewhere (see 18.11), Turn … from his evil way means to stop doing evil. Evil way is used also in 18.11; 23.22; 26.3; 35.15; 36.3, 7. It may be difficult to distinguish between evil way and wrong doings, though most translations prefer to retain both expressions rather than to combine them. Revised English Bible makes them almost the same in meaning, “wicked ways and evil conduct,” while New American Bible has “evil way … evil deeds.” Good News Translation represents the combination by “your wicked way of life and … the evil things you are doing.”

Your fathers is simply “your ancestors” (see 2.5). From of old could refer to these ancestors, as in “your ancestors of long ago,” but most translations join it to and for ever in expressions such as “as a permanent possession” (Good News Translation) or “to have forever.”

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 .