After this: New International Version says “Later,” which indicates the passage of a certain amount of time between the speech of Hezekiah and the arrival of Sennacherib’s messengers in Jerusalem.

Sennacherib king of Assyria: It may be considered unnecessary in some languages to repeat the words king of Assyria here since this information is given earlier in the chapter.

Who was besieging Lachish with all his forces is literally “and he against Lachish….” However, it is apparent that a verb such as besieging is to be understood. In an effort to translate as literally as possible, Jewish Publication Version says “now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “he and all his staff being at Lachish.” Regarding the city of Lachish, see the comments on 2 Chr 11.9. Archaeological excavations have found walls at Lachish that are 6 meters (20 feet) thick.

Sent his servants to Jerusalem …: The servants mentioned here were not menial domestic servants, but rather trusted messengers or officials (see 2 Kgs 18.17). For this reason it may be better to translate “messengers” ( NET Bible), “representatives” (New Jerusalem Bible), “officials” (New Living Translation), or “officers” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

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 .

And when he was in distress refers to the time Manasseh was in captivity in Babylon. Some other ways of expressing this clause are “As Manasseh suffered” (New Century Version) and “While Manasseh was held captive there” (Contemporary English Version).

He entreated the favor of the LORD his God may be expressed more naturally as “Manasseh prayed to the LORD his God” (Parole de Vie) or “he asked the LORD God … to help him” (Contemporary English Version).

And humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers: Humbled himself means he acknowledged his wrongdoing and repented (see the comments on 2 Chr 7.14). The God of his fathers refers to the same God as the LORD his God. Good News Translation does not translate these final words, but they should be kept since they indicate that Manasseh stood in the tradition of his ancestors. New Living Translation keeps them by saying “the God of his ancestors.”

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 .

Good News Translation justifiably decides to make the two-level direct quotation in this verse into an indirect statement. Its wording provides a much simpler model for many languages than the literal rendering of Revised Standard Version.

And she said to them: As noted at the end of the discussion on the previous verse, in some languages the third person masculine and feminine pronouns have the same form. If use of the pronoun she may result in ambiguity here, it will be better to use the name “Huldah.” In this context the verb said may be better translated “responded” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “replied” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “answered” (King James Version, Revised English Bible).

Thus says the LORD: For this introductory formula, see the comments on 1 Chr 17.4. It is repeated again in the next verse.

Tell the man who sent you to me: Since the words the man who sent you to me refer to the king, Good News Translation translates the meaning directly instead of imitating the circumlocution of the Hebrew text. However, it may be appropriate to retain the emphasis on the fact that this delegation had been sent by the king. The wording is fairly common in prophetic utterances. It is used by the prophet Elijah to the delegation from King Ahaziah (2 Kgs 1.6). Jeremiah also uses this kind of expression to send a message to King Zedekiah of Judah (Jer 37.7). Perhaps the prophetess says the man who sent you rather than “the king who sent you” because she is speaking on behalf of God, for whom the king is merely a man. In any case, verse 26 explicitly identifies the king as the one who sent these men.

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 .

So renders the common Hebrew conjunction as a logical connector. But many versions do not translate this conjunction here (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

His servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot …: For chariot see the comments on 1 Chr 18.4 and 2 Chr 1.14. Moffatt renders his second chariot as “his reserve chariot” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). This second chariot was probably larger and better suited for a retreat carrying a wounded passenger, while the first would have been smaller with room for only one person actively engaged in fighting. The Hebrew word rendered second may also be understood as referring to King Josiah’s officer who was “second-in-command,” rather than to his second chariot. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, for example, renders his second chariot as “the wagon of his second-in-command,” and Revised English Bible says “his viceroy’s chariot.”

And he died, and was buried in the tombs of his fathers: The passive verb was buried may be made active by saying “they [indefinite] buried him” or “his people buried him.” The tombs of his fathers may be rendered “the tombs of his ancestors” (God’s Word) or simply “the royal tombs” (Good News Translation).

All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah: See Jer 22.10. All Judah and Jerusalem may be rendered “All the people of Jerusalem and the rest of Judah.”

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 .

Verses 11-16 are not in one important manuscript of the Septuagint, so some interpreters think that they were added later to the text of 1 Chronicles. Knoppers places these six verses within square brackets to show his uncertainty, but they are firmly a part of the Masoretic Text and should be translated.

Egypt was the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naph-tuhim: Since the names at the end of this verse and in the next one refer to the people who inhabited certain places, Good News Translation says “the people of Lydia, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh…” (similarly International Children’s Bible, Bible en français courant, Bible de Jérusalem). Another way of expressing that these are groups of people is “the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim…” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, Braun, Osty-Trinquet).

Egypt is literally “Mitsrayim” as in verse 8. The list of ethnic groups that follow were most likely located near Egypt.

Ludim was perhaps the ancestor of “the people of Lydia” (Good News Translation) in Asia Minor. But because Jer 46.9 and Ezek 30.5 refer to Lud along with Cush and Put, some scholars think that the Ludim may refer to an unidentified African people.

The location of the Anamim is unknown. Perhaps this ethnic group was somewhere on the north coast of Africa.

Many scholars think that the Hebrew name Lehabim is a variant spelling for the name “Lubim,” that is, the Libyans. The reading in the Septuagint supports this view. Libya was located in northern Africa, immediately west of Egypt. Most translations simply transliterate the singular form of this name as “Lehab” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible) or say “[the] Lehabites” (New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Nueva Versión Internacional). Moffatt, however, says “the Libyans.”

The exact location of the Naph-tuhim is also uncertain. On the basis of various kinds of evidence scholars have proposed that this ethnic group was either in the area of the delta in northern Egypt, or in the area of Memphis in Middle Egypt.

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 .

The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul: See Gen 46.12. Once again certain languages will require a verb in such an expression, following the model of Good News Translation or that of New Century Version, which has “Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul.” In order to make it clear that Perez does not have other sons listed later in this chapter, some translations say that “Perez had two sons…” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). The line of descent will continue with the descendants of Hezron in verses 9 and following.

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 .

Shema was the father of Raham, the father of Jorke-am: Since the literal rendering of Revised Standard Version may be confusing or ambiguous, Good News Translation clarifies the relationship between Shema and Jorke-am by using the word “grandfather.” But according to most interpreters, Jorke-am may be the name of a village rather than a person. If so, then the father of Jorke-am may be translated “the founder of the village of Jorkeam” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

The Masoretic Text reads Jorke-am as the name of a person (or possibly a settlement), but in Josh 15.56 the Masoretic Text has “Jokdeam” for the name of a city inherited by the tribe of Judah. Therefore some interpreters correct the Hebrew here to read also “Jokdeam.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text here and suggests that the Masoretic Text in Joshua should be corrected to read “Jorkeam.”

And Rekem was the father of Shammai: Good News Translation has added the words “Shema’s brother” to further describe Rekem. This information is based on the previous verse but is added here for the sake of clarity.

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 .

The sons of Neariah: Eli-o-enai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three is literally “And the son of Neariah Elioenai and Hizkiah and Azrikam, three.” Following a few Hebrew manuscripts plus the Septuagint and the Vulgate, nearly all modern versions have sons instead of “son” as the context requires.

In English it is more natural to list the number of sons before naming them. For this reason Good News Translation places the number three near the beginning of the verse, just as it places the number “seven” near the beginning of the next verse (also Moffatt, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

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 .