But King David said to Ornan: The common Hebrew conjunction rendered But (also Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) marks contrast here. David refuses to accept the threshing floor and other items as gifts. He wants to pay for them. While the Hebrew text has the full form King David, some translators have shortened it by using only the title, “the king” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation, Bible en français courant), or only the name, “David” (Contemporary English Version). Whichever seems more natural in the receptor language will be acceptable. The verb said may be rendered “replied” (Contemporary English Version) or “answered” (Good News Translation) in this context.
No, but I will buy it for the full price: The word No implies that David does not want the threshing floor and other items as gifts. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “No, I don’t want gifts.” I will buy it is literally “to buy I will buy,” which means “I will surely buy.” Revised Standard Version has added the object pronoun it. But since what follows shows that David intended to pay not just for the threshing floor but also for the oxen, threshing boards and wheat, it is better to say “I will buy them” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). As in verse 22, full price is literally “full silver.”
I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings which cost me nothing: New Century Version says “I won’t take anything that is yours and give it to the LORD. I won’t offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
In languages where direct quotations present problems, translators may consider the following model for this verse:
• But King David refused and told Ornan that he would buy them for the full price because he did not want to take for the LORD what belonged to Ornan and he did not want to offer to the LORD burnt offerings that cost him nothing.
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 .