So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel: So renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it shows the logical connection between David’s decision and the LORD’s action. Another possible logical connector is “Therefore” (New American Bible). However, some modern versions simply begin a new paragraph here without any overt transition word (for example, Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The Hebrew verb translated sent is literally “gave.” But the context favors a translation like sent. New Jerusalem Bible says “unleashed.” Pestilence may be rendered “plague” (New International Version, New Living Translation, God’s Word) or “terrible disease” (New Century Version). See the comments on verse 12.

And there fell seventy thousand men of Israel is literally “it fell from Israel seventy thousand men.” This structure will likely be reversed in many languages so that seventy thousand men of Israel becomes the subject of the verb fell, which means “died” (Good News Translation) in this context. As in the previous verse, men does not seem to refer to males in distinction from females. For this reason some versions render men of Israel as “people of Israel” (Good News Translation; similarly New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation), and others say “Israelites” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, American Bible, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .