And they went out at noon: These words refer to the same event mentioned at the beginning of verse 17; that is, verses 16a and 17a both refer to the servants of the district governors. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Parole de Vie combine verses 16 and 17 in order to avoid the repetition and any possible confusion, and this may be a good approach in other languages also.

They went out is a literal rendering of the Hebrew. Good News Translation translates it according to the context as “The attack began,” that is, “they attacked.” Compare “They marched out” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible).

Drinking himself drunk: See the comments on this same phrase in 1 Kgs 16.9, where it refers to King Elah of Israel. Other idiomatic renderings in English include “drinking themselves into insensibility” (Revised English Bible) and “drinking himself senseless” (New Jerusalem Bible). It should be clear in the receptor language that both Benhadad and the other thirty-two kings were all becoming drunk.

Booths: See the comments on verse 12. The Septuagint translates this as the place name “Succoth” here in verse 16.

He and the thirty-two kings who helped him is literally “he and the kings thirty-two king who helped him.” See the comments on verse 1 regarding these kings. Revised English Bible stays closer to the form of the Hebrew than Revised Standard Version does, saying “Ben-hadad and his allies, those thirty-two kings.”

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