OET interlinear 2 KI 21:13

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-unknown

וְ⁠נָטִ֣יתִי עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם אֵ֚ת קָ֣ו שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְ⁠אֶת־מִשְׁקֹ֖לֶת בֵּ֣ית אַחְאָ֑ב

and,I_will_stretch_out on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in (Some words not found in UHB: and,I_will_stretch_out on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in Yerushalayim DOM measuring_line_of Shomrōn and=DOM plummet_of house_of ʼAḩʼāⱱ and,I_will_wipe_clean DOM Yerushalayim just,as wipes DOM the,bowl wiping and,he_turns_[it]_over on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in face_of,its )

A measuring line is a cord with markings on it that is used to determine length. A plumb line is a weight on the end of a cord that is used to determine whether a wall is straight upright. Alternate translation: [And I will measure Jerusalem with the same marked cord that I used to measure Samaria, and I will determine whether Jerusalem is upright by using the same weight on the end of a cord that I used to determine whether the house of Ahab was upright]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠נָטִ֣יתִי עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם אֵ֚ת קָ֣ו שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְ⁠אֶת־מִשְׁקֹ֖לֶת בֵּ֣ית אַחְאָ֑ב

and,I_will_stretch_out on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in (Some words not found in UHB: and,I_will_stretch_out on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in Yerushalayim DOM measuring_line_of Shomrōn and=DOM plummet_of house_of ʼAḩʼāⱱ and,I_will_wipe_clean DOM Yerushalayim just,as wipes DOM the,bowl wiping and,he_turns_[it]_over on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in face_of,its )

If builders using a measuring line or plumb line discovered that a structure was not the right size or that a wall was leaning, they would tear down the structure or wall. Yahweh is using these instruments to represent the standards by which he judged and punished the people of Samaria (the northern kingdom of Israel) and the descendants of Ahab. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. The UST models one way to do that.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וּ⁠מָחִ֨יתִי אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם כַּֽ⁠אֲשֶׁר־יִמְחֶ֤ה אֶת־הַ⁠צַּלַּ֨חַת֙ מָחָ֔ה וְ⁠הָפַ֖ךְ עַל־פָּנֶֽי⁠הָ

and,I_will_wipe_clean DOM (Some words not found in UHB: and,I_will_stretch_out on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in Yerushalayim DOM measuring_line_of Shomrōn and=DOM plummet_of house_of ʼAḩʼāⱱ and,I_will_wipe_clean DOM Yerushalayim just,as wipes DOM the,bowl wiping and,he_turns_[it]_over on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in face_of,its )

The point of this comparison is that just as a person who ensures that he has wiped a dish thoroughly by turning it over and wiping both sides, so Yahweh will wipe Jerusalem away thoroughly and completely. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [And I will wipe Jerusalem away just as thoroughly as a person wipes a dish who turns it over to make sure that he has wiped both sides]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וְ⁠הָפַ֖ךְ עַל־פָּנֶֽי⁠הָ

and,he_turns_[it]_over on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in (Some words not found in UHB: and,I_will_stretch_out on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in Yerushalayim DOM measuring_line_of Shomrōn and=DOM plummet_of house_of ʼAḩʼāⱱ and,I_will_wipe_clean DOM Yerushalayim just,as wipes DOM the,bowl wiping and,he_turns_[it]_over on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in face_of,its )

Yahweh is using the term face to mean the “front” of this dish. If this term does not have that meaning in your language, you could use a comparable expression from your language that does have that meaning, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [and turns it over and also wipes the back]