Six days, literally “Six of days,” means for a period of six days. Contemporary English Version is a little more precise, with “Work the first six days of the week.” You shall do your work is literally “you [singular] shall do your doing,” or “you shall work your work.” The verb and the noun have the same root. But on the seventh day you shall rest is literally “and in the seventh day you [singular] shall stop.” This first word for rest does not really mean to relax and take a rest, as in the second part of the verse. (See the comment at 16.30.) New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is more accurate, with “you shall cease from labor,” and Good News Translation has “but do no work on the seventh day.” The purpose of this law is not so much for the benefit of the Israelite as it is for the benefit of his animals and slaves.

That your ox and your ass may have rest uses the word meaning to settle, relax, or take a rest. This is the word used in 20.11. (See the comment there.) For ox and ass see the comment at 20.17 and 9.3. And the son of your bondmaid is literally “the son of your female slave” (see 21.7). New Revised Standard Version has “your homeborn slave,” and New International Version has “the slave born in your household,” but it may be understood as referring to all “your slaves” (Good News Translation). May be refreshed is literally “and he will exhale,” meaning that he will “catch his breath,” or “have a breathing space” (New Jerusalem Bible).

And the alien is added at the end of the sentence almost as an afterthought, but the concern is also for “the foreigners” (Good News Translation). This is the same word translated as “stranger” in verse 9. (See the comment there.)

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .