Verses 17-18 form a conditional sentence. Verse 17 expresses the conditions that Solomon must fulfill, and verse 18 states what God will do if Solomon does what is expected of him.

And as for you is literally “And you.” The second person pronoun here in Hebrew places focus on Solomon. Revised Standard Version attempts to capture the force of the Hebrew by saying as for you (so also New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, English Standard Version). Revised English Bible begins the verse with “If you, for your part.” But the focus may be maintained by the use of an emphatic pronoun in other languages or by using some other means; for example, Contemporary English Version says “Solomon, you.”

If you walk before me, as David your father walked: The use of the verb walk to refer to the behavior or way of living of a person is common in Scripture (see 2 Chr 6.14), but a literal translation may not convey the same meaning in some languages. Some may prefer to render walk before me as “serve me” (New Century Version), “faithfully follow me” (New Living Translation), or “be faithful to me” (God’s Word). An alternative model for both these clauses is “if you live in my sight as your father David lived” (similarly Revised English Bible).

Doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my ordinances: These words spell out clearly the meaning of walk before me. For statutes and ordinances, see the comments on 1 Chr 22.13.

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 .