Imamat 25:17

25:17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen, ¹  but you must fear your God, because I am the Lord your God.

Imamat 25:35-36

Debt and Slave Regulations

25:35 “‘If your brother ²  becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, ³  you must support ⁴  him; he must live ⁵  with you like a foreign resident. ⁶  25:36 Do not take interest or profit from him, ⁷  but you must fear your God and your brother must live ⁸  with you.

Imamat 25:42-43

25:42 Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale. ⁹  25:43 You must not rule over him harshly, ¹⁰  but you must fear your God.

[25:17]  ¹ tn Heb “And you shall not oppress a man his fellow citizen.”

[25:35]  ² tn It is not clear to whom this refers. It is probably broader than “sibling” (cf. NRSV “any of your kin”; NLT “any of your Israelite relatives”) but some English versions take it to mean “fellow Israelite” (so TEV; cf. NAB, NIV “countrymen”) and others are ambiguous (cf. CEV “any of your people”).

[25:35]  ³ tn Heb “and his hand slips with you.”

[25:35]  ⁴ tn Heb “strengthen”; NASB “sustain.”

[25:35]  ⁵ tn The form וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living,” but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal, and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 18:5).

[25:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “a foreigner and resident,” which is probably to be combined (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71).

[25:36]  ⁷ tn The meaning of the terms rendered “interest” and “profit” is much debated (see the summaries in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 354-55 and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 178). Verse 37, however, suggests that the first refers to a percentage of money and the second percentage of produce (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 421).

[25:36]  ⁸ tn In form the Hebrew term וְחֵי (vÿkhey, “shall live”) is the construct plural noun (i.e., “the life of”), but here it is used as the finite verb (cf. v. 35 and GKC 218 §76.i).

[25:42]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps reflexive Niphal rather than passive, “they shall not sell themselves [as in] a slave sale.”

[25:43]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “You shall not rule in him in violence”; cf. NASB “with severity”; NIV “ruthlessly.”