To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah: See Jer 25.11; 29.10. By the mouth of Jeremiah may be rendered “spoken through Jeremiah” (New Living Translation, God’s Word). This whole clause may be rendered “So what the LORD had told the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah happened” (similarly New Century Version).

Until the land enjoyed its sabbaths: The land refers to the physical land of Judah. In some languages it may not be appropriate for the noun land to be the subject of the verb enjoyed. Older versions such as King James Version tended to render this verb as Revised Standard Version has done, but more recently scholars have come to realize that there are two separate Hebrew verbs that have the same spelling. One of these verbs means “to enjoy,” and the other verb means “to pay,” “to redeem,” or “to restore.” New Revised Standard Version uses the second verb by rendering this clause as “until the land had made up for its sabbaths.” The idea here is that the land would have to be left uncultivated for the time period mentioned. The footnote in Good News Translation explains clearly the sense of sabbaths. According to Lev 25.1-7, the land was to be left uncultivated for a whole year every seven year period, but this law had not been respected.

All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years: These words combines elements from Lev 26.34-35 and Jer 25.11-12. It lay desolate means “Judah was [like] an empty desert” (Contemporary English Version). It kept sabbath means the land was allowed to rest by not being farmed. To fulfill the seventy years explains the purpose of not farming the land during this period. The land of Judah remained like an empty desert for seventy years to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest. The land was supposed to rest every seventh year, but this had not happened.

Some versions turn the second part of this verse into direct discourse (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, La Bible Pléiade, El libro del Pueblo de Dios), but in others it is indirect. The Hebrew text has no quotation marks when a speaker’s words are quoted. Here it is not clear whether the words until the land … seventy years are intended to be Jeremiah’s words or the words of the Chronicler. Either interpretation is possible. If they are taken as Jeremiah’s words, then these words tell what Jeremiah prophesied. If they are taken as the author’s words, these words state that Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning seventy years of exile will not be fulfilled until the Promised Land has had seventy years of desolation. These words are not a direct quotation from any verse in Jeremiah. If translators treat them as a direct quotation, they may find the following footnote in El libro del Pueblo de Dios useful: “The quotation [in verse 21] is not literal. See Jer 25.11; 29.10; Zech 1.12.”

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 .

This verse, which gives the content of the king’s proclamation, contains a quotation within a quotation, but Good News Translation provides a model that avoids the need to have two levels of quotation.

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia is the first level of quotation. These words formally introduce the following message of Cyrus. New Living Translation and God’s Word render this clause as “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says.”

The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth: Cyrus, a non-Jew, appears to give credit to Yahweh for his victory and success. The expression the God of heaven is found frequently in Ezra and Nehemiah (see, for example, Ezra 7.12, 21, 23). Heaven refers to the dwelling place of God. In Hebrew the form is plural, “the heavens” (so Anchor Bible, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In English either the singular or the plural form may be used, but the singular is the more common. The God of heaven may be translated “the God who is in the heavens.” The title of the Zoroastrian god was also “the god of heaven,” and Cyrus would probably have been familiar with this title. All the kingdoms of the earth refers to the world that was known by Cyrus. For this whole clause Contemporary English Version has “The LORD God of heaven has made me the ruler of every nation on earth.”

And he has charged me to build him a house … may be rendered “and he has appointed me to build a temple for him…” (New International Version). See Isa 44.28.

Whoever is among you of all his people may be translated simply “Anyone of his people among you” (New International Version).

May the LORD his God be with him is literally “Yahweh his God with him.” These words are a form of blessing or benediction pronounced by King Cyrus upon the Jews. The pronoun him refers back to the word Whoever and refers to anyone who is a part of the people of God. This clause and the previous one may be rendered “Now may the LORD your God be with all of you who are his people” (New Century Version; similarly God’s Word).

Let him go up: These final words of the book may be confusing. 2 Chronicles breaks off where the parallel text in Ezra continues with “to Jerusalem … and rebuild the house of the LORD….” But in translating 2 Chronicles, it is necessary to make sense of the text as it stands. Osty-Trinquet ends the book with an ellipsis, suggesting that something is missing. What the writer seems to imply is that the faithful should go to Jerusalem, even in the context of 2 Chronicles. For this reason Good News Translation translates “go there,” referring back to Jerusalem. New Century Version makes this even more explicit by saying “You are free to go to Jerusalem.” This sets the stage for the rebuilding of the Temple as described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah which follow.

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 .

And after this …: The Hebrew text begins with the verbal transition (King James Version “And it came to pass”) followed by an adverb of time showing that the events here took place some time after the ones previously reported. Receptor languages may have a variety of ways of indicating this. New International Version does so by beginning with “In the course of time …,” and Contemporary English Version says “Some time later….”

There arose war with the Philistines at Gezer: The text does not say who went to war against the Philistines. International Children’s Bible makes it clear by saying “war broke out between Israel and the Philistines at Gezer.” Regarding the location and importance of the town of Gezer, see the comments on 1 Chr 6.67. In the parallel text of 2 Sam 21.18 this same town is called “Gob.”

Then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai: Sibbecai the Hushathite was from the town of Hushah, located in the hills of the territory of Judah, a few kilometers southwest of Bethlehem. Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje says “Sibbecai, from the town of Hushah.” He is mentioned also in 1 Chr 11.29, where he is included among the mighty men of David’s army, and possibly also in 2 Sam 23.27. According to 1 Chr 27.11, he was the commander of David’s army who served in the eighth month each year. Instead of Sippai, the parallel passage in , 2 Sam 21.18 has “Saph,” which is actually a variant of the name Sippai. New Living Translation reads “Saph” here. Translators may use the same spelling of the name in both cases.

Who was one of the descendants of the giants is literally “from the sons of the giants.” This expression has been traditionally understood to mean that the men described in this way here and in the following verses were physical descendants of people of unusually large stature, the Rephaim, who are described in Gen 14.5; 15.20; Deut 2.10-11; Josh 12.4; 13.12; 17.15, and elsewhere. However, in his commentary on 2 Samuel, McCarter indicates that the Hebrew word translated descendants may be understood to imply membership in a group in the same way that “sons of the prophets” refers to members of a prophetic guild (see 1 Kgs 20.35; Amos 7.14). It was used especially to refer to people of low estate who were dedicated to military service of a master (see Gen 14.14, where it is rendered “born”).

The meaning of the Hebrew word translated the giants (harephaʾim) is not entirely certain either. This Hebrew word is plural and has the prefixed letter for “h,” which is usually understood to be the Hebrew definite article. But in , verses 6 and 8 the Hebrew word is singular, haraphaʾ. These Hebrew words are sometimes transliterated “the Rephaim” (Contemporary English Version, , Revised English Bible), “the Rephaim/Rapha” ( NET Bible), “the Rephaites/Rapha” (New International Version), or “the Raphaim” (New American Bible). Some interpreters consider these words to be a woman’s name, in which case the initial letter for “h” is not the definite article but is part of the woman’s name (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible with “Harafa” in verses 6 and 8). But the plural word in verse 4 almost certainly shows that the writer intended the reference here and in verses 6 and 8 to be the ancient giants. Translators are advised to render the meaning found in , Revised Standard Version (also New Revised Standard Version, Anchor Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nueva Versión Internacional, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), while adding an explanatory footnote if necessary.

And the Philistines were subdued is literally “and they were subdued.” Osty-Trinquet places the words “the Philistines” within square brackets. However, even though the Hebrew does not have the words “the Philistines,” such information may be made explicit here without the use of square brackets. This statement shows that God’s promise to David to “subdue all your enemies” (1 Chr 17.10) is being fulfilled.

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 .

Then Solomon said: Verse 1b may be understood as words that Solomon spoke to himself. If so, then Solomon’s prayer to God begins in verse 2 (so NET Bible). Other translations understand verse 1b as the beginning of Solomon’s prayer. Since verse 2 makes clear that Solomon is talking to God and not to human beings, some of these translations introduce the direct quotation of verses 1b-2 with the verb “prayed” instead of said (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation).

The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness: This line refers to Lev 16.2. In the Masoretic Text the parallel text in 1 Kgs 8.12 agrees with the wording here. However, the Septuagint text of 1 Kgs 8.12 has a longer reading (beginning with the words “The LORD has set the sun in the heavens”), which is followed by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, and several other translations of 1 Kgs 8.12. Some versions harmonize the text here in 2 Chronicles with that of the Septuagint in 1 Kings by following the longer text (so Revised English Bible, Moffatt). Revised English Bible, for example, says “The LORD has caused the sun to shine in the heavens; but he has said he would dwell in thick darkness.”

The Most Holy Place had no windows; no natural light penetrated it except when the curtain was drawn back. While darkness may be said to be thick in English, the term used in other languages may be quite different. In fact, the Hebrew has a single word for thick darkness, which refers to “obscurity” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The idea is “an obscure place” (La Bible du Semeur) or simply “a very dark place.” The same expression is found in Exo 20.21. It may be translated “a/the dark cloud” (New International Version, New Century Version, New American Bible).

Good News Translation, which takes this line as part of Solomon’s prayer, has changed the third person references to the LORD to second person by saying “LORD, you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness” (similarly Parole de Vie). Good News Bible does this because the Hebrew uses the second person for the LORD in the rest of the prayer in the following verse. Translators must decide whether it will be confusing to readers in the receptor language to shift from third person to second person in speaking to God. In addition to the question about shifting pronouns, translators must also ask themselves whether it is natural in their language to use the third person in prayers to God.

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 .