Six years …: it will be better in many languages to translate this phrase only once in this verse, even though the Hebrew repeats it. In some languages the repetition may even give the impression of two separate six-year periods. In other cases the repetition may simply be stylistically unacceptable. Note that Good News Translation has shifted this information to the end of the verse for the sake of naturalness in English.

You shall sow … prune … gather: the subject of these three verbs is singular in form (the pronoun you), but it is collective, and the meaning is plural. See 19.9. Instead of you shall …, some languages may prefer “you may…” (Moffatt, New Jerusalem Bible, and New English Bible) or “it is acceptable to….”

Your field … your vineyard: the possessive pronouns are likewise singular in form but plural in meaning. And the singular field and vineyard are collective and should be translated as plurals, as in Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .