But he did not put their children to death …: The common Hebrew conjunction is correctly translated But since the reader might expect that the new king would execute the children of his enemies as well. Good News Translation uses the contrastive conjunction “however.”

According to what is written in the law, in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded …: The book of Moses probably refers to the Pentateuch (see the comments on 2 Chr 17.9). The quotation that follows comes from Deut 24.16. Good News Translation provides a helpful model for some languages by avoiding the passive verb is written and saying “what the LORD had commanded in the Law of Moses.”

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, or the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin: This quotation from Deuteronomy focuses on individual responsibility for sin. The Hebrew word translated fathers should not be limited to male parents in this context, so some modern versions use the word “Parents” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Living Translation, New Century Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Similarly, every man is not limited to males, so it is better translated “everyone” or “Each person” (God’s Word).

Contemporary English Version provides a possible model of indirect discourse for those languages where the direct quotation is a problem. For this whole verse it has:

• But the children of those officers were not killed; the LORD had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the people who sinned were to be punished.

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 .