He will take: see the comments on verse 11.

Perfumers, that is, someone who mixes or blends ointments to be used for anointing or for wearing as perfume. New American Bible renders this term “ointment-makers,” and Fox says “ointment-mixers.” The same term occurs in Neh 3.8 and in Exo 30.25, 34.

In many languages the nouns perfumers and cooks and bakers will be more naturally rendered as verb phrases. So the whole verse may read “he will take your daughters and force them to make perfume and cook food and bake bread.” While it is not specifically stated as it was in the previous verse, the king is again seen to be the one to benefit from this work. Good News Translation makes this implied information explicit by adding “for him” and “his,” so that this verse conforms to the overall pattern of this passage.

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 .