The quotation in verses 3-4 has three levels: (1) God’s words to Shemaiah, (2) the words that Shemaiah is to say to introduce God’s words (“Thus says the LORD”), and (3) God’s words to Rehoboam and his people. Good News Translation reduces the number of embedded quotations by changing part of the quotation to indirect speech. This may be a good model for other languages where embedded quotations present problems. Contemporary English Version provides another helpful model for such languages by rendering verses 2-4 as follows:

• 2 Meanwhile, the LORD had told Shemaiah the prophet 3 to tell Rehoboam and everyone from Judah and Benjamin, 4 “The LORD warns you not to go to war against the people from the northern tribes—they are your relatives. Go home! The LORD is the one who made these things happen.”

Rehoboam the son of Solomon king of Judah: Solomon had died already (2 Chr 9.31), but a literal translation here may incorrectly suggest that Solomon was still king. New Revised Standard Version expresses the meaning more clearly with “King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon.” Good News Translation leaves out the words the son of Solomon, presumably because this information is well known to Bible readers. But since it has not been specifically mentioned in 2 Chronicles yet, it should probably not be excluded here. It does occur again in verse 17 of this chapter.

All Israel in Judah and Benjamin: Unlike in verse 1, where Israel refers to the northern kingdom, the reference here is to the people of the southern kingdom. Good News Translation expresses this whole phrase well with “all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.”

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 .