This verse concludes the message from Jehoash to Amaziah.

You say, ‘See, I have smitten Edom’ is literally “You say, behold, you have defeated Edom.” The Hebrew verb for “defeated” is in the second person, which seems strange since we expect the text to say “You say, behold, I have defeated Edom.” Translations have dealt with this difficulty in various ways as follows:

(1) Perhaps the intended sense is that Amaziah was speaking to himself. New International Version, for example, says “You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom.”
(2) Revised Standard Version has an embedded quotation and has made a slight change in the Hebrew to read I have smitten instead of “you have smitten.” Such a change makes good sense, since a literal translation of the Hebrew may give the incorrect impression that Amaziah was speaking to someone else.
(3) Revised English Bible attempts to make the sense clear by saying “You have defeated Edom, I see.”
(4) Good News Translation has eliminated the embedded quotation here, saying “Now Amaziah, you boast that you have defeated the Edomites” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Compare Bible en français courant, which has “And Joash added, ‘You boast about having beaten the Edomites.’ ”

Regardless of how the Hebrew construction is understood here, the meaning is clear: Amaziah boasted that he had defeated the Edomites.

And your heart has lifted you up in boastfulness: A literal rendering of this clause is likely to be meaningless or at least unnatural in quite a number of languages. Revised English Bible uses the English idiom “but it has gone to your head.” Some other modern English renderings are “but you have become proud, and you brag” (New Century Version) and “and now you are arrogant and proud” (New International Version).

But now stay at home does not mean that Amaziah should always remain inside his own house. The idea is rather that he should not attempt to conquer other regions. So in some languages this clause will be better rendered “But now remain on your own territory” or “But don’t go looking for more people to conquer.” New Jerusalem Bible provides another model with “But stay where you belong!”

Why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?: The Hebrew verb translated provoke may also be translated “stir up” or “irritate.” It is reflexive in form, so why should you provoke trouble means “why should you bring trouble on yourself.” The verb fall refers to a military defeat and subjection to other rulers. While this verb is singular, the words that follow make it clear that all of Judah is included. So in translation it will be appropriate to make the verb plural with you and Judah with you as the subject. For the last half of this question, some may say “so that you and all the people of Judah will be destroyed.” For the whole question Bible en français courant has “Why do you want to begin a war that will end badly for you, and where you will be defeated along with all the army of Judah?” This question is rhetorical, so Contemporary English Version makes it a statement, saying “If you cause any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will be destroyed.” International Children’s Bible is similar with “Don’t ask for trouble by fighting me. If you do, you and Judah will be defeated.”

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 .