The expressions my lord, my lord the king, and the king are merely respectful ways of addressing the king. But the accumulation of three such expressions in such a short speech may be an indication of an overzealous attempt to win the king’s approval. The translation should attempt to convey the idea of this zeal without using unnatural language. In many languages it will be especially unnatural to refer to the king using the third person forms when addressing him directly.

Hold me guilty or remember … bear it in mind: these three verbal expressions are, of course, talking about the same thing, that is, the day when Shimei cursed David and threw rocks and dirt at him (16.5-13). They are introduced by the negation Let not …, but one or more of these may be stated positively. It will be possible to say “Please consider me innocent … please disregard…” and “please forget all about it.” But in many languages it will be appropriate to use the negative form in at least one of these verbal expressions.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .