The LORD has avenged upon you: in some languages it may be more natural to say something like “the LORD is punishing you” as Good News Translation has done. Shimei was convinced that David’s actions deserved discipline at the hands of God, and that Absalom’s taking power was in fact a sign that God was taking action against David. The verb rendered has avenged is literally “has sent back” or “has caused to go back.”

All the blood of the house of Saul: that is, “all those people in Saul’s family that you murdered.” New International Version has “for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul,” and New Century Version is even clearer, with “for the people in Saul’s family you killed.”

The structure of the first part of this verse may need to be radically altered in some languages. For example, the words in whose place you have reigned may be shifted forward to the beginning of the verse and translated “you seized power from Saul” or “you took the throne from Saul.”

Hand: since this word is used to speak of “power,” it will be best in most languages not to translate it literally. Some may express the whole phrase as “the LORD has let your son Absalom rule in your place.”

See: the Hebrew has the focusing particle, which may be translated here rather literally as “And behold you!” New Revised Standard Version, like Revised Standard Version, says See, and Revised English Bible has “see how [your enemies have overtaken you]!” But Good News Translation does not translate this particle here.

Your ruin is on you: Shimei is talking about the returning of David’s own wrongdoing on himself. He sees what is happening to David as deserved punishment for what David had done to others—especially for the killing of people in Saul’s and Shimei’s clan. Revised English Bible translates “see how your crimes have overtaken you,” while Contemporary English Version changes the order and puts this part at the end of the verse, explaining “that’s why you’re in such big trouble!”

A man of blood: see the comments on the previous verse.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .