As verses 10-11 appear in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, the connection between them is unclear and verse 11 hardly makes sense in the context. Some translators have begun verse 11 with “No one can say.” Following Jewish tradition, both Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible interpret verse 11 as what would be said by Esau’s descendants, if any one of them were still alive. For example, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders the end of verse 10 as follows: “His descendants, his brothers and his neighbors are destroyed, and there is no one left to say:….”

Leave; that is, “leave in my care.”

Fatherless children is much more naturally rendered as “orphans” (Good News Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant). Among the Hebrews, orphans and widows were considered the most helpless people in their society (see 7.6).

Let your widows trust in me: Good News Translation has “Your widows can depend on me.”

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 .