Exodus 23:4

23:4 “If you encounter ¹  your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return ²  it to him.

Deuteronomy 22:1-3

Laws Concerning Preservation of Life

22:1 When you see ³  your neighbor’s ⁴  ox or sheep going astray, do not ignore it; ⁵  you must return it without fail ⁶  to your neighbor. 22:2 If the owner ⁷  does not live ⁸  near you or you do not know who the owner is, ⁹  then you must corral the animal ¹⁰  at your house and let it stay with you until the owner looks for it; then you must return it to him. 22:3 You shall do the same to his donkey, his clothes, or anything else your neighbor ¹¹  has lost and you have found; you must not refuse to get involved. ¹² 

[23:4]  ¹ tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[23:4]  ² tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.

[22:1]  ³ tn Heb “you must not see,” but, if translated literally into English, the statement is misleading.

[22:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “brother’s” (also later in this verse). In this context it is not limited to one’s siblings, however; cf. NAB “your kinsman’s.”

[22:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “hide yourself.”

[22:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail.”

[22:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “your brother” (also later in this verse).

[22:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “is not.” The idea of “residing” is implied.

[22:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and you do not know him.”

[22:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the ox or sheep mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your brother” (also in v. 4).

[22:3]  ¹² tn Heb “you must not hide yourself.”