You shall not wrong one another: see verse 14b. Again the emphasis is on both parties in the transaction. This seems to come out more clearly if some kind of reciprocal form is used, as in Revised Standard Version.

But: the Hebrew conjunction here is the same one that is often translated “and,” but in this case it is necessary to render it by something that shows the sharp contrast between cheating a fellow Israelite and showing reverence for God.

You shall fear your God: the future tense has an imperative meaning, as is often the case elsewhere in Leviticus. On the meaning of “fear God,” see 19.3, 14.

For I am the LORD your God: compare 18.2. The transition word for or “because” indicates that it is the presence of God that should be the basis for the Israelites not cheating each other.

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 .