But you shall fear the LORD your God is a positive affirmation of the theme of the passage that is stated negatively at the end of the previous verse. Because of the contrast between the positive and negative statements, some languages will require a contrasting conjunction like but at the beginning of this verse. As noted earlier in the discussion on verses 36-38, the use of the third person reference to God will be considered unnatural in most languages if a direct quotation is being used to indicate that God himself is speaking. Good News Translation has changed the LORD your God to first person, using “me, the LORD your God.”

He will deliver you: Here Good News Translation has “I” instead of he since God continues to speak.

Out of the hand of all your enemies; that is, from the power of all those who opposed the descendants of Jacob.

In those languages where the lengthy direct quotation in verses 35-39 is a problem, these verses might be rendered in the following manner, making only verses 37b-39 direct:

• The LORD had made an agreement with them and had ordered them not to worship other gods and not to bow down to them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them. The LORD who brought them out of Egypt with great power and strength commanded that they should worship him. He said that to him only they should bow down and to him only offer sacrifices. They should always obey the laws and commands that the LORD wrote for them: “You shall not worship other gods, and you shall not forget the agreement I made with you. It is I, the LORD your God, who rescues you from your enemies. So you must worship me.”

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