Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said …: The princes of Israel refers to the same people as “the princes of Judah” in the previous verse, so Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version indicate that only one group is intended by saying “the leaders.” Humbled themselves means they acknowledged their wrongdoing and repented (see the comments on 2 Chr 7.14). Some other ways of conveying this meaning are “recognized that they were wrong” (Parole de Vie) and “were sorry for what they had done” (New Century Version). It should be clear in translation that the act of the leaders humbling themselves and their declaration that follows are not two totally different things. Rather, their declaration was an integral part of their act of humility. One way to show this relationship is to avoid the use the conjunction and before the verb said. New American Bible, for example, begins this verse with “However, the commanders of Israel and the king humbled themselves saying….”

The LORD is righteous: These words may be understood as a general statement of truth, but in this context King Rehoboam and the other leaders of Judah admit that they deserve to be punished by God through Shishak. New Revised Standard Version has “The LORD is in the right,” which expresses the meaning of the Hebrew better than Revised Standard Version does. Good News Translation is also better with “What the LORD is doing is just.” Compare also “The LORD is right in doing this to us” (New Living Translation). The Hebrew word translated righteous has a wide range of meanings. It is sometimes used to indicate that someone has acted loyally or in the proper way within an established relationship. This sense seems to be in focus here.

In languages where direct discourse is problematic, the last half of this verse may be rendered “They acknowledged to the LORD that what he was doing was right” or “They admitted to the LORD that they deserved what he was doing to them.”

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 .