Made a covenant is literally “cut a covenant” (see the comments on this Hebrew idiom in 1 Kgs 5.12). Good News Translation (also New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond) uses the past perfect tense here (“had made a covenant”) since the writer is referring now to an earlier time in the history of Israel before people from other nations resettled Samaria. It also handles the verb commanded in the same way in the next clause.

With them: New International Version has “with the Israelites” and Bible en français courant says “with the descendants of Jacob” since the readers might possibly understand the pronoun them as referring to the new settlers in Samaria. Something like this may be required in many other cases, depending on how the pronoun reference system works in the language.

Commanded them is literally “commanded them saying.”

The verbs fear, bow and serve all center on the idea of showing respect or giving honor. The repetition of the same idea is intended to reinforce the prohibition stated in this verse. See the comments at 1 Kgs 9.6.

Sacrifice is another way of giving honor to a deity. So this is likewise prohibited.

The direct quotation in verses 35b-39 may be seen as a kind of theological commentary on the first commandment, which forbids the worshiping of any god other than Yahweh (Exo 20.3). It is also similar in some ways to Deut 4. The passage contains a great deal of repetition, but this is intentional and should be reproduced in the receptor language unless it is unnatural to do so.

In those cases where the use of such a long direct quotation violates the norms of the language, at least a part of this passage may be transformed into indirect speech. A possible model for this entire passage is provided at the end of the quotation in verse 39.

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 .