It will be noticed that this verse has been restructured by Good News Translation. The elements may also be arranged differently in the receptor language.

Set my face against: or “turn my back on,” or “turn against.” See 17.10.

Cut him off from among his people: on the expression cut … off, see 7.20. And note that his people may be translated “the people of Israel” if there is any possibility that this may be understood to mean that this person comes from a different group.

Because: the cause and effect relationship between giving a child to the foreign deity, Moloch, and being excommunicated from the people of God, is perhaps less clear in the structure of Good News Translation. This relationship, however, should be clearly spelled out in the receptor language.

Molech: see verse 2 and 18.21.

My sanctuary: this may be understood as referring strictly to the Tent of the LORD’s presence (as in Good News Translation), or more generally to the whole area surrounding and including the Tent.

Profaning my holy name: see 19.8, 12.

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 .

You: the pronoun here is singular in form, so some translators prefer to render it “Each Israelite…” (Bible en français courant). But naturalness in the receptor language should be the determining factor in deciding whether to say “You people…” or “Each one of you….” One commentator states that “the Israelites as a nation are addressed in the person of their chiefs” (that is, the priests).

Consecrate: the root word here is the same as for holy and sanctify. But the form used gives the idea of “regard as holy” (New International Version) or “treat as holy” (New Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible). Revised Standard Version may give the wrong idea that a rite of consecration is involved, similar to ordination.

Bread: see verse 6.

Be holy … sanctify: the two verbs are closely related. The second is the causative form of the first. The verb be holy describes a state, while sanctify means “to make holy” or “cause to be holy.” On the meaning of holy, see 2.3.

You: while the other cases of the pronoun in this verse are singular, the final occurrence of the English pronoun you corresponds to the second person plural in Hebrew. It clearly refers to the whole community of Israel. So Good News Translation has rendered it “my people.” Some versions follow a different text at this point and read “I … sanctify them” (New English Bible and An American Translation). But this is not recommended.

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 .

Compare Deuteronomy 17.1 and Malachi 1.8.

A literal rendering of the structure of this verse may sound odd in many languages. It is a general prohibition, but the consequence of violating the prohibition is given. One way to handle the structure is to say “You must not … But if you do…” or, as in Good News Translation, “If you offer…, the LORD….”

Anything: the word used here is very general, but the context requires “any animal,” as in Good News Translation. Moffatt has “any victim.”

It will not be acceptable: or, in those languages where the passive is not appropriate, “the LORD will not accept it” (if indirect discourse is being used) and “I will not accept it” (where it is a part of direct discourse). Another suggestion is “it will not earn you my [God’s] favor.”

For you: this carries the idea of “on your behalf” but may be better left implicit in some languages.

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 .

Do no work: see verse 3. Compare also verse 7.

On this same day: in some languages it may be more natural to leave this information implicit.

It is a day of atonement: this may be considered as unnecessary repetition in some languages, since it has already been stated in the previous verse.

Before the LORD your God: these words have also been left implicit in Good News Translation. But translators should determine for their own language whether it is more natural to omit them here.

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 .

This verse resumes the narrative of the half-Israelite who cursed God, where it was interrupted at the end of verse 14. It may be necessary in some languages to begin this verse by saying “After Moses had given the people of Israel these (general) rules….”

Him who had cursed: see verse 14.

Stoned him with stones: see 20.2 as well as verse 14.

Thus: or “by doing this.”

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 .

This verse further develops the thought of 36a concerning interest of any kind. It is not only money that is involved, but loans of any sort (specifically food).

Lend him your money at interest: in some languages it may be necessary to say something like “Do not give him money with the condition that he return to you more than you give him” or, as suggested above, “do not make him pay rent on money borrowed.”

Give him your food for profit: as in the above case, it may be necessary to say “Do not sell him food for more than it cost you” or “Do not give him food and expect him to repay you more than you give.” The latter is perhaps better, in the sense that it involves more of a friendly loan of food than a commercial transaction.

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 .

This is the counterpart of verses 7 and 8 above.

Set my face against you: see 17.10; 20.3, 6.

You shall be smitten before your enemies: the verb “to smite” or “to strike” is often used in Scripture to mean “kill” or “defeat in battle.” In some languages the passive construction may be better rendered “your enemies will defeat you.”

Rule over you: the Septuagint has instead “pursue you,” but this is followed only by New English Bible. Translators are advised to communicate the idea “dominate,” “subjugate,” “rule over,” or “be your rulers.”

You shall flee when none pursues you: Good News Translation makes the meaning explicit by adding “you will be so terrified….” This contrasts with verses 7 and 8, where the enemy is made to flee by a much smaller number of Israelite soldiers.

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 .

He: this refers to the person who made the promise to God.

Substitute … exchange: these two verbs have very similar meanings but may be slightly different. According to some writers substitute gives the idea of replacing one animal by an exact equivalent, while exchange is to replace with something different. But the Septuagint translated the two by a single term. And they may be translated by a single verb in the receptor language, if synonyms cannot be found, or if it would be unnatural to use two verbs here.

A good for a bad, or a bad for a good: this information is left implicit in Good News Translation, but it emphasizes that substitutes are forbidden under all circumstances—even when the worshiper wants to provide a better animal than originally presented. In some languages this may be stated as follows “even if a better animal is presented.”

Be holy: dynamically rendered “belong to the LORD” in this context.

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 .