A man … another man …: in order to avoid confusion, it is best to distinguish clearly between the two or three men involved in this case. In the structure of Revised Standard Version, the first man refers to a person who has relations with the slave girl. This could refer either to the owner of the slave or to a third party. An early British edition of Good News Translation takes it to mean the owner of the slave, but more recent editions agree with the American edition, which suggests that it is a different person—that is, neither the slave owner nor the fiancé. This interpretation seems more likely. The second man mentioned in the text (another man) clearly refers to the person to whom the slave girl has been promised. Note that Good News Translation has restructured the verse to make the slave girl the subject of the first part of the verse. This may help to avoid some of the potential confusion. Another possible model may be the following:

• If any man has sexual relations with a slave girl who has been designated for another man, even though the other man has not paid the money, then the slave girl and the man who slept with her must be punished. But they don’t have to be put to death, because the woman has not been set free.

This suggestion, and the Good News Translation model, leave the slave owner in the background, and there is no need to mention him explicitly unless one follows the interpretation that makes him the one guilty of sleeping with the slave girl.

Lies carnally with a woman: literally “lies with a woman with emission of semen.” This is just another expression for having sexual intercourse with a woman, and may be translated as the other expressions used in chapter 18. See 18.20. Compare also 15.16-18.

Betrothed to another man: Good News Translation shifts this part of the sentence forward to the beginning of the verse, for smoother English. This may be advisable in some other languages. The meaning in this context is “promised to,” “assigned to,” or “designated for.”

Not yet ransomed: that is, the man has not yet paid the price necessary to make the slave girl his own.

An inquiry shall be held: the meaning of the Hebrew text at this point is very uncertain. The most likely meaning is “there shall be punishment.” This is the interpretation followed by Good News Translation, New International Version, New American Bible, and New American Standard Bible. But Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, An American Translation, and Moffatt follow the Greek Septuagint and translate an inquiry shall be held. It is also possible to understand the text as meaning “there shall be an indemnity” (New Jerusalem Bible and Traduction oecuménique de la Bible). Translators are, however, advised to follow the interpretation “there shall be punishment.” But it is then necessary in some languages to decide who is to receive the punishment. Is it the woman only or the man only? Or is it both of the parties involved? More than likely both of them would have been punished. So one may translate “they shall be punished.”

They shall not be put to death: Jerusalem Bible is alone in following a different Hebrew text at this point, and translates “he is not to be put to death.” But almost all other versions have the plural pronoun, and this should be followed in the receptor language. Even New Jerusalem Bible abandons Jerusalem Bible and reverts to this text.

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 .