Revised Standard Version continues the sentence begun in the previous verse, but it may be wise in a number of languages to begin a new sentence at this point as has been done in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, and New Century Version.

With accounts of all his rule: Revised Standard Version has added the word accounts as the context requires in English.

His might may be rendered “his military might.” Peregrino says “his battles.”

The circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel, and upon all the kingdoms of the countries refers to the different experiences that David, the nation of Israel, and the surrounding nations had. The circumstances is literally “the times.” For this whole clause Revised English Bible says “the times through which he and Israel and all the kingdoms of the world had passed.” All the kingdoms of the countries refers to the countries close to Israel, that is, Egypt, Syria, Philistia, Moab, Edom, Tyre, and Ammon (see especially 1 Chr 18–20; see also 2 Chr 12.8; 17.10; 20.29). Other renderings include “all the neighboring kingdoms” (Peregrino, “all the kingdoms of those regions” (El libro del Pueblo de Dios), “all the kingdoms of the region” (La Bible du Semeur), “the neighboring countries of Israel” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), and “all the surrounding kingdoms” (New Living Translation; similarly Good News Translation). The translations “all the kingdoms of the earth” (New Revised Standard Version) and “all the kingdoms of the world” (Revised English Bible) probably say more than the writer intended to say. A good model for this whole clause is found in Bible en français courant, which says “the events that happened in his private life, in the political life of Israel and in that of other kingdoms.”

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 we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon: Since the contrast in verses 15 and 16 is between King Hiram and his Phoenician lumbermen on the one hand and King Solomon on the other hand, the pronoun we is exclusive. The pronoun we may include some Israelites as well (see verse 8b), but more likely includes only non-Israelites and would certainly not include Solomon. All of the Hebrew pronouns for you in this verse are singular, referring to Solomon. Lebanon here refers to the mountain range parallel to the Mediterranean coast, located north of Palestine (see the comments on 2Chr 2.8). Good News Translation makes this meaning clear by adding “the mountains of.”

And bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa: The workers from Tyre would tie the logs together to make rafts and tow them behind boats. Contemporary English Version has “then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “and deliver them to you as rafts by sea to Jaffa.” For a good discussion on rafts, see WTH, pages 360-361|fig:WTH.8.1.2.Raft, float.360-361.html. Since there may be no specific word for rafts in many languages, it will be necessary simply to describe the action of fastening the logs together. One African language says “we will bind them together and cause them to come to you on the great sea to Joppa.”

Joppa is mentioned in the story of Jonah (1.3). It is a suburb of Tel Aviv today, located on the Mediterranean coast, about 60 kilometers (38 miles) from Jerusalem. The distance from Tyre to Joppa was about 160 kilometers (100 miles). New Living Translation makes explicit the name of the sea by saying “and will float the logs in rafts down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa.” Instead of translating by sea literally, New American Bible says “and float them down to you at the port of Joppa.”

So that you make take it up to Jerusalem: From sea level to Jerusalem involved a significant change in elevation of nearly 800 meters (2,625 feet) above sea level. But Parole de Vie leaves the notion of upward movement implied, translating simply “From there, you will transport them to Jerusalem.” NET Bible translates with a more specific verb, saying “You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.” In the Hebrew text the second person singular pronoun for you is emphatic. New Jerusalem Bible attempts to express this by saying “and it will be your responsibility to transport it to Jerusalem.”

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 .

For forks (verse 16), see the comments on 1 Chr 28.17. These were forks with two prongs, used for handling the meat that was offered as sacrifices. Berkeley says “pronged meat-forks.” Contemporary English Version and New International Version use “meat forks.” Since the word fork may cause readers to think of the utensil that people eat with in many cultures today, a translation such as “meat hooks” (La Bible du Semeur) may be preferable.

The parallel text in 1 Kgs 7.45 has “basins” (mizraqoth in Hebrew) instead of forks (mizlagoth in Hebrew). The two Hebrew words are similar. Verses 8 and 11 also mention “basins.” Revised English Bible follows the parallel text in 1 Kgs 7.45 by saying “tossing-bowls” here in verse 16. However, Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the reading forks and argues that the presence of “basins” in verse 11 caused some scribes of ancient manuscripts to write “basins” also here in verse 16.

All the equipment for these (verse 16) refers to all the items mentioned in verses 12-16a, so Good News Translation and Revised English Bible say “all these objects” and Contemporary English Version has “all these things.”

Huram-abi (verse 16): See the comments on 2 Chr 2.13. Among the translations that take abi as a title, compare “Master Huram” (Revised English Bible), “the trusty Huram” (Moffatt), and “Huram, his honored craftsman” (Berkeley).

Burnished bronze means the bronze was polished or rubbed with a soft material such as a cloth to make it shiny or lustrous. Many languages will speak of “polished bronze” (Good News Translation, New Century Version, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie).

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 .

Yet renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Since what follows expresses an exception to what God might be expected to do in light of verse 18, this conjunction is correctly translated by Revised Standard Version. Some other ways of rendering it are “Even so” (New Jerusalem Bible), “But” (Contemporary English Version, New Century Version), and “However” (Bible en français courant).

Have regard to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication: Have regard to renders a Hebrew verb meaning “to turn toward.” Here the verb is used figuratively to mean “to concern oneself with.” Solomon is pleading with Yahweh to take his prayer seriously. God’s Word renders this whole clause as “please pay attention to my prayer for mercy.”

Solomon spoke of himself in the first person in the previous verse and of David as “thy servant” in verse 16. Now in this verse and the next two, he refers to himself in the third person as thy servant. He refers to himself in this way to show respect to God as he prays. Some versions change this third person reference to first person in order to show clearly that Solomon continues to refer to himself; for example, Good News Translation has “I am your servant,” and International Children’s Bible says “I, your servant.”

The Hebrew nouns rendered prayer and supplication are basically synonyms in this context. Among the various English translations are “prayer … plea for mercy” (New International Version), “prayer … request” (New Century Version), and “prayer … plea” (New Revised Standard Version). The Hebrew noun rendered prayer is the most commonly used Hebrew word for “prayer.” It often refers to intercessory prayer, as it does here. The Hebrew noun rendered supplication comes from a root meaning “to be gracious,” and is a prayer for mercy.

Hearkening to the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee: Hearkening to is a somewhat archaic way of saying “listening to” or “heeding” (New Revised Standard Version). This verb is parallel to have regard to. The Hebrew noun rendered cry comes from a root meaning “to shout for joy.” The English translation “cry” does not mean “to weep” here but rather “to shout.” The noun prayer translates the same Hebrew noun rendered prayer at the beginning of this verse; and the verb prays comes from the same root.

At the end of this verse the Septuagint and the Syriac add the word “today” (compare 1 Kgs 8.28), but the Masoretic Text does not have “today” here, and it should not be added in translation.

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 on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly: The eighth day refers to the day after the seven days of celebration for the Festival of Shelters. The Hebrew word rendered solemn assembly is related to a root that involves restraint. Perhaps for this reason many translations retain the idea of solemnity, but some drop it; for example, New International Version, God’s Word, and Dillard say “assembly,” and New Century Version has “meeting.” In this context it may be best to say “final celebration” (Anchor Bible) or “closing ceremony” (New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond footnote). The Hebrew word is used elsewhere in Lev 23.36; Num 29.35; Deut 16.8; 2 Kgs 10.20; Neh 8.18; Isa 1.13; Joel 1.14; 2.15; and Amos 5.21.

For they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days: Before the closing ceremony, the Israelites first celebrated the dedication of the Temple and the altar for seven days, and then the Festival of Shelters for seven days. The altar refers to the bronze altar for burning sacrifices (see verse 7). As in the previous verse, the feast refers to the Festival of Shelters.

Good News Translation and New Century Version restructure this verse, putting the events in more chronological order, with the final day of the celebration coming at the end of the verse instead of the beginning. Another model that does this is:

• They had already celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and then they spent seven more days for the Festival of Shelters. On the next day they had a closing ceremony.

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 the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon: This literal rendering may not be appropriate in many languages since wisdom is not something that can be seen. It may be necessary to supply a different verb here and use “see” with reference only to Solomon’s palace, which would have been visible. New Revised Standard Version and Revised English Bible use the verb “observed,” but this may present the same problems. For this whole clause New Living Translation provides a helpful model, saying “When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was.”

The house that he had built: In this context the Hebrew word for house refers to the royal palace and not to the Temple.

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 common Hebrew conjunction rendered Then is a temporal connector here, introducing the next event in the story. Good News Translation simply begins a new paragraph at this point.

King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men: The verb phrase took counsel may be rendered “asked advice” (Knox, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie), “called … and asked,” or simply “consulted” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt). Most interpreters understand the old men and “the young men” of verse 8 as referring to age and not to formal titles of two groups who made decisions when the assembly of Israel gathered. Good News Translation and New Living Translation refer to the old men as “the older men.”

Who had stood before Solomon his father: Revised Standard Version has a literal translation of the Hebrew here, but New Revised Standard Version expresses the meaning more clearly with “who had attended his father Solomon.” The sense is that these elders had been available to give advice to King Solomon. For the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father, New Living Translation says “the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon.” But the New Living Translation rendering does not show that these men served in an official capacity. Better renderings are “the old councillors who had served his father Solomon” (Moffatt) and “some leaders who had been his father’s senior officials” (Contemporary English Version).

While he was yet alive: Good News Translation leaves implicit that Solomon was no longer alive (also Moffatt, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). However, since the death of Solomon was recorded in the previous chapter, and may not be known to readers who have not already read that chapter, it may be better if the Good News Translation model is not followed here. Others have translated this clause as “during his lifetime” (New International Version, New Century Version) and “before he died.”

How do you advise me to answer this people?: Neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation shows the emphasis that the Hebrew places on the second person plural pronoun you in Rehoboam’s question here and in verse 9 as he seeks the advice of two different groups. Compare Traduction œcuménique de la Bible: “You, how do you advise me to respond to this people?” The Hebrew participle translated advise comes from the same root as the verb rendered took counsel. This participle does not have the object me in Hebrew. Revised Standard Version adds it for naturalness in English. The Hebrew verb translated answer is literally “return word.” In some languages the direct quotation here will be more naturally rendered by indirect discourse. Possible models are “He asked them how they thought he should respond to these people” and “He inquired how they would advise him to answer the people.”

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 .

With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen: This phrase completes the sentence begun in the previous verse. It deals with the military strength of Shishak. For chariots and horsemen, see the comments on 1 Chr 18.4 and 2 Chr 1.14.

And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt …: The Hebrew word translated people is frequently used to refer to an army. That is clearly its meaning in this context. Here it may be rendered “troops” (New International Version) or “army of foot soldiers” (New Living Translation).

Shishak came with mercenary troops from other countries that are named in the last part of this verse. The Libyans (literally “Lubians” [An American Translation]) were people who lived on the coast of North Africa, west of Egypt.

The Sukki-im are unknown today. Possibly they were of Libyan origin and lived in the desert west of Egypt. The Hebrew form here is plural. The plural form in some languages will be “Sukkites” (New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, An American Translation, Bible en français courant). The Septuagint translates this name as Trôglodutai (a name given to several peoples in Caucasia), which is the basis for Moffatt‘s rendering “Troglodytes.”

Ethiopians (also New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, La Bible Pléiade) is literally “Cushites” (New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Peregrino. God’s Word translates “Sudanese.” Revised English Bible gives “Nubians” as an alternative translation in a footnote, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “Nubians” in the text itself. The problem in translating the Hebrew term as Ethiopians is that the location is not identical with modern-day Ethiopia. The footnote in Good News Translation provides a clear description of the area in view. But it may be best to retain the transliterated form “Cushites” in the text itself.

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 .