Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD…’ ”: Translators may find the three levels of direct quotation in this verse difficult to handle unless one or more of them is made indirect. A possible model for one level of quotation here is “Isaiah told them to tell their master, ‘The LORD tells you…’ ” (compare Good News Translation).

For the expression Thus says the LORD, see 1 Kgs 11.31.

The servants of the king of Assyria: The Hebrew word translated servants is not the usual word for “servants.” A more literal translation is “boys” (see the comments on 1 Kgs 14.3, where it is rendered “child”). Some interpreters think that Isaiah uses a term that shows contempt in this context. Compare “the Assyrian king’s minions” (Revised English Bible; similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible). But the English word “minion” is not necessarily negative in connotation. New International Version provides a better model in English with the word “underlings.”

Reviled me: Good News Translation does not translate this part of the verse, but the idea should be kept in translation. The pronoun me refers to the LORD and can be retained only if it is quite clear that it is the LORD who is speaking. It should not be taken to refer to the prophet. The verb reviled is better translated “insulted,” “spoken against” (New Century Version), or “blasphemed” (New International Version, New American Bible, Revised English Bible). The Hebrew verb here is different from the one rendered “mock” in verse 4, but the meaning is very similar.

Two possible models for the last part of this verse are as follows:

• The words that these messengers from the King of Assyria said to you are very insulting to me. But do not be frightened by them.

• Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers (New Living Translation).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .