Once again, it may be more natural not to repeat the words the secretary in this verse since this information is given previously (verses 3 and 8).

Came to the king, and reported to the king: In most languages it will also be unnatural to repeat the words to the king as in Revised Standard Version and Hebrew (so Good News Translation). Whether these words follow the verb came or reported will depend on the usual patterns of the receptor language.

The Hebrew expression translated reported is literally “returned a word and said,” but the meaning is correctly translated in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Most other English translations render the expression with the same verb.

Your servants: This expression is often used in the Bible as a respectful way of approaching royalty or other respected persons (see 1 Kgs 1.27; 2 Kgs 6.3) and in such cases is better translated by the first person plural pronoun. But this does not seem to be the case here. Shaphan is probably referring to other officials of the king. The word servants is better translated “officials” (New International Version, Contemporary English Version) or “officers” (New Century Version) in this context since they are not domestic servants.

Emptied out the money …: The Hebrew verb used here is relatively rare in the Old Testament. In other contexts where it occurs in the basic verb form, it is usually translated “poured” (Exo 9.33) or “poured out” (2 Chr 12.7; Job 3.24). Here in verse 9 it occurs in the causative form and may mean either “pour out [something]” or “melt.” If translators have followed the Greek text that reads “melt down” instead of the Masoretic Text in verse 4, they will probably wish to translate the Hebrew verb here as “melted.” Several modern English versions take the verb to mean “melted down” in this context (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). Others understand it to mean “paid out” (New International Version, New Century Version), that is, the money was “poured out” of a bag. If the Hebrew word translated money is understood to mean “silver” (Revised English Bible) or “metals” (New American Bible), then “melted down” makes more sense. For the translation of money, see the comments on verse 4.

The money that was found in the house: It should be easy to transform the passive verb here to an active one without specifying a definite agent. The wording of Revised Standard Version may give the impression to some readers that the money, like “the book of the law,” had been lost for some time. But this is not the intention of the original text. The idea is rather that this money was kept in the Temple. Good News Translation speaks of “the money that was in the Temple.”

The house referred to here is, of course, the same as the house of the LORD mentioned again at the end of the verse. Both expressions refer to the Temple.

Into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD: The Hebrew here is exactly the same as in verse 5 and should be translated as in that verse.

The direct quotation of this verse may have to be made indirect in some languages as Revised English Bible has done. Another model of indirect discourse is as follows:

• Then Shaphan went back and reported to the king that the royal officials had taken the money that was in the Temple and had given it to the men responsible for the repairs.

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 .