For thou, my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build a house for him: The Hebrew particle rendered For shows the logical relationship between this verse and the previous one. It may also indicate emphasis and be translated “Indeed” (Knoppers). This particle is sometimes omitted in translation, but it should be rendered. Revealed to thy servant is literally “uncovered [or, opened] the ear of your servant.” Thou wilt build a house for him may be rendered “you will establish my dynasty” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or “you will make my descendants kings” (Good News Translation). For this whole sentence New Century Version has “My God, you have told me that you would make my family great.”

Therefore thy servant has found courage to pray before thee: The fact that David is not an equal with God but is only God’s servant means that he must summon courage to pray to God. Revised Standard Version has added the word courage as the context requires, even though there is no corresponding object of the verb found in the Hebrew. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy expresses this sentence as “therefore, even though I am your servant, I am going to pray to you.” This rendering clearly demonstrates David’s subservience to the LORD to whom he is praying and adequately reflects the meaning conveyed by the use of thy servant, the third person self-reference to David.

Good News Translation (also Moffatt) reverses the order of the clauses in this verse, stating first what David has done and then stating the reason. As in previous verses, Good News Translation also changes the third person references to David to first person singular (also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Contemporary English Version offers a possible model for the whole verse:

• because you are my God, and you have promised that my descendants will be kings. That’s why I have the courage to pray to you like this, even though I am only your servant.

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 .