He will take: see the comments on verse 11.

The Hebrew text states explicitly that the king will take both menservants and maidservants. Good News Translation has combined the two words into one (“servants”), but such a reduction may lose some of the force of the Hebrew. Translators may therefore prefer to say “your servants, both men and women” or something similar.

On the idea of the best, see verse 14.

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, along with most modern translations, have followed the Septuagint in reading cattle instead of “young men” of the Hebrew text. Translators, however, are urged to translate the meaning “young men,” following the Masoretic Text (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), to which Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating.

And put them to his work: in place of these words the Septuagint reads “and will take the tenth of them for his works.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, which is followed by nearly all modern translations. The whole expression means simply “take for his own use” (New International Version) or “make them work for him” (New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation). This meaning will be best translated by a causative verb form in certain languages.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .