Verses 6-7 are a conditional sentence. Verse 6 is the “if” part, and verse 7 is the conclusion or “then” part. In some languages it will be more natural to break this complex sentence up into several sentences. Verse 6 begins in Hebrew with the word “if.” However, since verses 6-7 express a contrast with verses 4-5, many translations begin verse 6 with the word But (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, Contemporary English Version).
If you turn aside from following me is literally “if to turn you [plural] turn from after me.” The Hebrew construction of an infinitive followed by a finite form of the same verb serves to intensify or reinforce what is said. See the discussion on reinforcing verbs in “Translating 1–2 Kings,” page 15. New American Bible attempts to express this emphasis by adding the word “ever,” so it says “if you … ever withdraw from me.” The Hebrew verb rendered turn is used here in a figurative sense with the meaning “to stop obeying God.” In certain languages it will be quite natural to say “if ever you turn your back on me.” The thought is parallel in meaning to the words do not keep my commandments and my statutes.
You or your children: If a literal translation of your children will mean sons and daughters born directly to Solomon, it will be better to use a word in the receptor language that corresponds to the English word “descendants.” Another way of expressing the meaning is “you, your people, your sons and the sons of their sons” (Parole de Vie).
Commandments … statutes: See the comments on these nouns in 1 Kgs 2.3.
Go and serve is literally “walk and serve.” Perhaps the verb go is to be understood literally as “go to places where other gods are worshiped.” But sometimes when the Hebrew verb “walk” is with another verb, it functions to illustrate the following verb. New American Bible renders this phrase as “proceed to venerate.” This may be rendered “undertake to serve.” Notice that Good News Translation does not translate these two verbs separately but combines them with the verb “worship” as one single event.
In those languages where the word “God” can refer only to the one true God, it will be possible to translate other gods as “idols [as if they were God].”
Worship them: The Hebrew verb rendered worship is literally “bow down to.” In languages where bowing down carries the meaning of worship, it may be preferable to translate literally in order to indicate the form in which they worshiped God. Revised English Bible preserves the form with “bow down before them.”
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 .