I have something to say to you is a way of asking permission to continue speaking and to get to the heart of the matter. In some languages it will be more appropriate to put this in the form of a question such as “May I tell you what is on my mind?” or “May I speak to you of the matter for which I have come here?”

Say on is literally “Speak,” which once again repeats what is used in the previous statement. Unlike Good News Translation, which turns Bathsheba’s command into a polite question, the Hebrew is abrupt. Compare “Tell me” (Revised English Bible) and “Say it” (New American Bible).

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 .