Verses 2-5 are one sentence, which must be broken up into smaller units. The passage has to do with what should be done to a person who leads a fellow-Israelite to worship idols. This is an example of what is called “casuistic law,” in which a possible criminal activity is described, and instructions are given on what to do should such a thing occur. For this reason Good News Translation begins with “Suppose you hear…”; Revised English Bible has “Should there be found…,” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “It is possible that…,” Bible en français courant “Perhaps some day….”

If there is found among you: the passive verb may be difficult to represent in translation; the clause means “Should it happen that…,” or “Suppose it happens that…,” and it introduces a hypothetical situation (a situation that may not have happened yet, but may come about in the future). The clause may be rendered as a conditional clause, “If any Israelite man or woman living in any of the towns that the LORD your God is going to give you does….” Good News Translation “Suppose you hear that…” or Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “It is possible that…” are other possible models.

Does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God: this is basically a way of saying “breaks God’s law,” “disobeys God,” or else “sins against the LORD your God” (see Good News Translation; see 4.25; 9.18). For the LORD your God see 1.6.

In transgressing his covenant: this is the sin the person has actually committed. For covenant see 4.13. Since by definition a covenant is an agreement between two or more parties, it may be necessary to say “breaking [or, violating] the covenant that God has made with you.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .