The common Hebrew conjunction is here rendered But, and this is probably best in the present context, since Joab’s words are somewhat in opposition to the instructions of King David.
Joab refers to God as the LORD your God, but the translation of these words should not suggest that Joab served a different god. Joab is here emphasizing David’s responsibility before God.
Joab twice uses the words my lord the king to refer to David while speaking directly to him. Since this will be quite unnatural in many languages, it will be advisable to use the personal pronoun instead. But some adjustment should be made to show that Joab was being very respectful. Good News Translation does this by introducing his words with “Your Majesty….”
As in the previous verse, the people refers to soldiers. Compare New International Version, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops….”
While it will be perfectly natural in some languages to say while the eyes … see it, in others this will be awkward. In those cases the subject of the verb will be more likely “while you can still see it.” But to retain the emphasis of the original, a number of languages will be able to say something like “[I hope] you will see it with your own eyes.”
The verb translated delight has appeared a number of times in 1 and 2 Samuel. It is used of the affection that King Saul had for David (1 Sam 18.22) and of the affection between David and Saul’s son Jonathan (1 Sam 19.1). Here it expresses the idea of desiring something, that is, of desiring strongly to take the census.
This thing: refers to the taking of the census. The question is a form of mild disapproval. This is highlighted in New American Bible by the wording “a thing of this kind.” If it seems necessary in other languages to fill out the meaning, translators may consider “counting the people like this” or something similar.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .