And the LORD said to Moses: See the comments on 1.1. This verse introduces the LORD’s instructions to Moses in verses 11-31. Good News Bible uses indirect speech here, which is a less emphatic way of communication in most languages. Translators should use direct speech, unless there is a good reason for following the Good News Bible model.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .