And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves: The Law of Moses prohibited making slaves of other Israelites (see Lev 25.39-55). Making slaves of the people of Judah would only add to the Israelites’ sins against God. The Hebrew verb rendered subjugate is sometimes translated “subdue” (see the comments on 1 Chr 22.18), but in this context the meaning is clearly “to make slaves of” (compare Jer 34.11, 16). The people is literally “the sons” or “the children” (Bible de Jérusalem). But such a literal translation may be misleading and should be avoided in most languages. For the expression Judah and Jerusalem, see the comments on 1 Chr 6.15 and 2 Chr 2.7. Male and female may be combined with the people as in Good News Translation, which says simply “the men and women.”

Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God?: This rhetorical question has no verb in the Hebrew text and may be understood in two different ways as follows:

(1) It may mean that the people of the northern kingdom have also committed sins against God in the past, so they should be less severe in their judgment against the people of the southern kingdom. This interpretation is followed in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.
(2) Or it may mean that the people of the northern kingdom are now committing a sin against God by making slaves of the people of the southern kingdom. Bible en français courant follows this second interpretation by saying “Is not this to make you guilty before the Lord your God?” (similarly New American Bible). Contemporary English Version also follows this interpretation, but it changes the rhetorical question into a statement, saying “you will be as guilty as they are of sinning against the LORD” (similarly Parole de Vie, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

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 .