I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God and they shall be my people: An everlasting covenant refers to an agreement, an arrangement between God and the people (the terms of which are imposed by God) which will be in effect forever. The everlasting covenant is spoken of in Jer 32.40; 50.5, as well as Isa 55.3; 61.8. This verse is worded in such a way that it is clear that “I will be your God and you will be my people” constitutes the terms of the covenant God is imposing. Good News Translation leaves this to be assumed, which is probably safe. But we may also translate “I will make an everlasting agreement with you that says, ‘I will be your God and you will be my people.’ ”

I will never again remove my people Israel from the land may be rendered “I promise never again to take you out of the land.”

This verse ends the quotation from “Moses” that began at verse 29. The next verse will continue with the prayer within which this quotation is embedded.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.