Verse 11 continues the words that Obadiah is speaking to Elijah. Within the words of Obadiah are two further layers of direct quotation: (a) the words of Elijah (Go, tell your lord) and (b) the words that Elijah tells Obadiah to say to Ahab (Behold, Elijah is here). Good News Translation restructures this verse and eliminates the embedded quotations completely. This will be a good model for many other languages to follow. However, the question format of Good News Translation may not be suitable for some languages. Another possible model is “And now, you are sending me to say to my master that you are arriving!” (Parole de Vie).

The transition And now contrasts the present situation of Obadiah with what was described in the previous verse. In some languages it may be better to translate “But now” (New International Version).

For the other expressions in this verse, refer to verse 8. As there, your lord refers to King Ahab. Here it may be translated “the king” or simply “him.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .