# did I ever say anything to any of Israel's leaders whom I appointed to shepherd my people, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"

This has a quotation within a quotation. The direct quotation can be stated as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: "did I ever ask any of Israel's leaders, whom I appointed to shepherd my people, why they had not built me a house of cedar?" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations]])

# did I ever say anything to any of Israel's leaders

Yahweh uses a question to emphasize that he never asked any of Israel's leaders to build him a house. Alternate translation: "I never said anything to any of Israel's leaders" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# whom I appointed to shepherd my people

Those who are leaders of the people of Israel are spoken of as if they were shepherds and the people were sheep. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

If Yahweh had asked the leaders this question, he would have been using a question to scold them for not building him a house of cedar. But, Yahweh said previously that he did not ask them this question. Alternate translation: "You should have built me a house of cedar." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

