In this verse Samuel quotes the words of two men. The two men, in turn, quote the words of Saul’s father. Good News Translation has turned the words of the two men into indirect quotations. Translators will need to use a form that is clear and natural in the receptor language.

Rachel’s tomb: Rachel, the second wife of Jacob (Gen 29), died giving birth to Benjamin and was buried near Ephrathah (Gen 35.20). The word tomb is translated “place of … burial” by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation in Deut 34.6. And that may be a better model for certain languages here.

Zelzah: nothing is known concerning Zelzah. Some would change the Hebrew to read “Zela,” a city in the territory of Benjamin mentioned in Josh 18.28 and 2 Sam 21.14. Others question whether this is even a place name. The Septuagint reads “leaping [or, dancing] vigorously.” Rather than translate the name Zelzah, New Jerusalem Bible and Anchor Bible simply leave a gap in the text (“on the frontier of Benjamin … and they will say”), suggesting that the Hebrew makes no sense. Reference to Zelzah is also absent from the translation of Moffatt and Knox, although the latter is undoubtedly influenced by the Latin Vulgate, which does not have Zelzah. In any case, this is not recommended to other translators.

Your father has ceased to care …: what the men say resembles Saul’s own choice of words in 9.5. In the Hebrew a focusing particle occurs before these words. Most translations do not attempt to translate it here, although some have “but now” (New Century Version). Compare Fox, who says “Here, you father has left-off the matter of the she-asses.”

Instead of the final embedded direct quotation in this verse, some languages will prefer to render the meaning indirectly by saying something like “he is asking what he should do to find his son [who has been gone for so long].”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .