With the beginning of a new section, Moses should be reintroduced as the speaker.

When a man: this kind of legislation chooses one particular matter and says what must be done in that case—“If such and such happens…”; “Suppose that…” is a good way to express the meaning in English (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version).

A man takes a wife and marries her: this is rather wordy; in many languages it will be enough to say something like “a man takes a wife,” “a man marries” or “a man gets married.” In the culture of that day, it was the man who took the initiative.

She finds no favor in his eyes: again, it is the man’s point of view that is maintained. This may be expressed as “if she doesn’t please him” or “if he isn’t pleased with her.” It is difficult to determine the time element here; this may be something that happened on the wedding night, or it may refer to some physical defect of which the husband was ignorant. Or else it may refer to some moral fault or defect that becomes apparent only with the passing of time. In any case, the text does not mean a serious moral flaw such as adultery, which would be punishable by death, not by divorce. It may be best to imitate BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, “later on he stops liking [or, loving] her” or Good News Translation, “later he decides he doesn’t want her.”

He has found some indecency in her: the Hebrew word translated indecency is literally “nakedness.” Good News Translation “something about her that he doesn’t like” is a possibility; the alternative rendering in the footnote offers another possibility: “later she is guilty of some shameful conduct.” New Revised Standard Version has “something objectionable,” Revised English Bible “something offensive,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “something obnoxious,” Contemporary English Version “something disgraceful about her”; these are all possible models.

He writes her a bill of divorce: a formal statement, presumably stating why he was sending her away. Some suppose that this included some sort of payment, but this cannot be proven. All the text says is that the husband gave his wife a document in which he stated that he was divorcing her. Many languages will have technical terms for the breaking of the marriage relationship. In other languages figurative language will be used, such as “driven out,” “sent away,” “returned to her parents,” and so on. A bill of divorce may be alternatively rendered as “write her a paper to put her out,” or “write a paper concerning sending her away,” and so on.

Puts it in her hand: this is part of the procedure. The man must deliver it to his wife personally.

Sends her out of his house: this is the final step; he orders her to leave. There seems to be no sense of physical force in this action.

And she departs out of his house: in the Hebrew text this is the beginning of verse 2, not the end of verse 1 (New Revised Standard Version repeats the Revised Standard Version mistake). The Septuagint omits this clause. Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New International Version also omit it as redundant.

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 .

And if she goes and becomes another man’s wife: the text does not say how this happened. It only states that it has happened: “and gets married again.” In certain languages this will be stated as “If some other man takes her as his wife.”

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 .

The latter husband dislikes her: this is a most unnatural construction in English; something like “the second husband” or “this husband” is better. The same thing happens as in the first case: there is something about her that the second husband also doesn’t like. The Hebrew verb is often translated “hates”; but here the more moderate dislikes is better in English. New Jerusalem Bible has “takes a dislike to her.”

Writes a bill of divorce …: the second husband follows the same three-step procedure followed by the first husband.

Or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife: New Revised Standard Version is better, “(or the second man who married her dies).” The point being made is that the woman may not remarry her first husband, so the possibility arises not only that the second husband may divorce her, but also that he may die. The clause who took her to be his wife is redundant information and will be unnatural style in a number of languages.

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 .

Her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife: this is the conclusion and the essential part of the whole regulation. Again, the Hebrew is quite redundant; the information who sent her away is not needed, although there is no harm in including it if it is not poor style. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have “her first husband.” We may also say “the first man who took her as his wife.”

After she has been defiled: this “defilement” is the result of her having married another man in addition to her first husband. So far as the first husband is concerned, she is defiled, that is, ritually impure. It is almost as if she had committed adultery. Good News Translation takes it that this is from the husband’s point of view; note also Revised English Bible “for him she has become unclean.” This is a possible model, but the absolute way of stating it as in Revised Standard Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh (“she has been defiled”) may be better.

An abomination before the LORD: or “the LORD hates this.” See 7.25.

You shall not bring guilt upon the land: instead of guilt a word like “sin” may be better (see Good News Translation). But it may be better to try to express the idea of the effect this sin would have on the land itself. The land, that is, the country of Israel, is seen as having a moral quality that can be polluted by sin. So something like “you will cause the land to be contaminated [or, be made impure] by sin” may be better (so Contemporary English Version “their marriage would pollute the land”).

The land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance: the standard reminder; see 4.21.

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 .

Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam: see Num 12.10-15. For the LORD your God see 1.6.

As you came forth: Again the translator is reminded of the fact that Moses is the speaker, and the second person you could be read to mean that Moses was not with them. If that is what the reader will understand, then the translation should read “as we came out of Egypt.”

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 .

You shall not sleep in his pledge: as the context makes clear (verse 13), the object given in pledge is the poor man’s cloak, that is, the long outer garment with which he covered himself as he slept. Without it he would be cold. The lender, therefore, is not to keep the man’s garment after sundown, but is to return it to its owner. Contemporary English Version makes it clear that the man is so poor that the long outer garment (cloak, or coat) is the only thing he can give as a guarantee: “Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan.”

The literal translation of Revised Standard Version does not make it immediately clear that, in this context, the object given in pledge is the man’s garment. It is better to supply that information immediately in verse 10, as Good News Translation does: “the garment he is going to give you as security.” New Revised Standard Version translates verse 12 as follows: “you shall not sleep in the garment given you as* the pledge,” with the following footnote: “Heb lacks the garment given you as.”

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 .

When the sun goes down: “at nightfall,” the time to go to bed. In this context the sense is “each evening” (Good News Translation).

You shall restore: the Hebrew is an emphatic form.

Bless you: this can mean “thank you,” but more probably it means “ask God to bless you,” or “ask God to make you prosperous.”

Shall be righteousness to you before the LORD your God: God will consider such an act as the right conduct, the proper behavior. Good News Translation “will be pleased with you” departs unnecessarily from the clear meaning of the Hebrew text. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “it will be to your merit before the LORD your God,” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “what the LORD your God considers right,” and Contemporary English Version “Then the LORD your God will notice that you have done the right thing.”

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 .

His hire: that is, his pay, wages, salary.

Before the sun goes down: so he will have money as he goes home. He would be working until dark.

He is poor and sets his heart upon it: that is, he depends on the money he will be paid every day. New International Version has “is counting on it,” the Septuagint “places his hope on it” (similarly Good News Translation), Contemporary English Version “need the money to survive.”

Lest he cry against you to the LORD: that is, “so that he will not ask the LORD to punish you.” It will be helpful to add “If you do not pay him on time” to the clause “ask the LORD to punish you” (see below).

It be sin in you: this is the opposite of “righteousness” at the end of verse 13.

An alternative translation model for this verse may be:

• Each day before sunset you must pay him for the work he has done. He is a poor person and needs that money to survive. If you do not pay him on time, he will complain about you to Yahweh, who will punish you for your sin.

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 .