If direct quotations are used in translation, the context of the battle must be remembered. It is difficult to imagine a man chasing another saying something as stilted as It is I in response to the question asked. And in some languages the direct quotations of this verse will be more naturally translated as indirect. Consider, for example, “Then Abner looked back and asked whether it was Asahel who was chasing him. And Asahel let him know that it was.” Another possible model is that of Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “At a certain point [in the chase], Abner turned and asked, ‘Is it you, Asahel?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied.”

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 .