You shall do no work: instead of repeating word-for-word the prohibition found in verse 28 and alluded to in verse 30, good style may require that it be phrased in a different way here. One may consider a general statement like “All work is forbidden” or “No work is allowed.” Good News Translation chooses to leave it implicit in this case.

It: the pronoun is translated “This regulation” in Good News Translation and refers to the prohibition of work on the Sabbath, which is stated in verse 28 and repeated again at the beginning of this verse.

A statute for ever …: see 3.17 and 10.9.

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 .