Now therefore is literally “And now.” The Hebrew words here mark a logical transition. Revised English Bible and New American Bible say “Now, therefore,” and New Revised Standard Version has “Therefore.”
Keep with thy servant David … what thou has promised him: Solomon has already acknowledged that God kept his promise to David that his son would build the Temple (verse 10). Now Solomon asks God to “keep the other promise you made” (Good News Translation), which is the promise to David that someone from his family would always be king of Israel (see 1 Kgs 2.4). This promise is cited in the remainder of the verse.
Saying …: In the remainder of this verse Solomon cites directly God’s promise to David, so there is it a quotation within a quotation. Good News Translation has turned the words of God into an indirect quotation, which may be a good model for other languages.
There shall never fail you a man before me to sit upon the throne of Israel is literally “There shall not be cut off to you a man before me to sit on the throne of Israel.” Moffatt says “You shall never lack a descendant in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel.” La Bible du Semeur uses a positive expression, saying “There will always be one of your descendants who will sit under my regard on the throne of Israel.” Another possible model is “One of your descendants will always be the ruler over Israel before me.”
If only your sons take heed to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me: If only introduces the condition required of David’s descendants: they must carefully pay attention to the way they behave and seek to live as David himself had lived. This connector may be translated “provided that” (New Jerusalem Bible), “but on one condition” (Parole de Vie), or “on condition that.” Your sons refers to future generations and should therefore be rendered “your descendants” in most languages. As in verse 14, the Hebrew verb rendered walk is used figuratively with the meaning “to live” or “to behave.” Walk in my law means to live a life of obedience to the Law of God. Nouvelle Bible Segond says “follow my law.” The Hebrew noun translated law (torah) has a wider range of meaning than the English word law. It also carries the idea of “teaching,” so New Century Version says “obey my teachings.”
The condition here is important and may be highlighted as in Parole de Vie, which renders God’s words to David as “There will be someone from your family to be king of the people of Israel after you, but on one condition: your sons must pay attention to their conduct and live according to my law, as you yourself have done.” New Century Version places the condition at the beginning of the sentence rather than at the end, saying “If your sons are careful to obey my teachings as you have obeyed, there will always be someone from your family ruling Israel.” New Living Translation is similar with “If your descendants guard their behavior and obey my law as you have done, they will always reign over Israel.”
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 .