Thus says the king: The king refers to the king of Assyria. But in some languages this whole statement may be omitted as being unnecessarily redundant in view of the ending of the previous verse.

In order to clarify the relationship between Hezekiah and the people being addressed, it may be wise in certain languages to say “Hezekiah, your king” or “your leader, Hezekiah.” The second person pronouns throughout this speech (verses 28-35) are plural since the Assyrian official is addressing the people of Judah.

Out of my hand may be translated “from my power” (so New Living Translation). Most Hebrew manuscripts and editions of the Masoretic Text read “out of his hand,” but many Hebrew manuscripts and the ancient versions read “out of my hand.” Since “out of his hand” makes little or no sense here, translators should follow the reading “out of my hand,” as nearly all modern translations do, including New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh.

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 .