On the twenty-third day of the seventh month: In the Hebrew calendar the seventh month was called Tishri, which corresponds to mid-September to mid-October (see the comments on 2 Chr 5.3). The reader may not realize that the twenty-third day of this month was actually “the following day” (Good News Translation) after the succession of events described in the previous verse. So it may be a good idea to make this explicit as Good News Translation has done. For this whole phrase New Living Translation has simply “at the end of the celebration.”

He sent the people away to their homes: Homes is literally “tents” (God’s Word, NASB) and designates their dwelling places. Even after the Israelites began living in houses instead of tents, the Hebrew word for “tent” was sometimes still used to refer to someone’s house or home. If the verb sent … away has negative connotations in a language, it may be better to render this whole clause as “he sent the people to their homes” (New International Version) or “he told the people that they should go home.”

Joyful and glad of heart describes the people of Israel. In some languages this phrase may become a separate sentence by saying “They returned with joy and great happiness.” Good News Translation says simply “They were happy,” which is a bit weak.

For the goodness that the LORD had shown may be rendered “for all the prosperity granted by the LORD” (Revised English Bible), “because of the benefits the Eternal had granted” (La Bible du Semeur), or “about all the blessings that the LORD had given” (Good News Translation).

To Israel his people: In some languages it may be necessary to say “to them” because of the earlier reference to the people in this verse.

In some languages it may be better to restructure the last half of this verse to say “They were very happy about all the blessings that the LORD had given to them and to their leaders, David and Solomon.”

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 .