I am Kyle's self-indulgence

This month I've resumed reading Everett Fox's translation of The Five Books Of Moses. I chose to read this because it preserves the Hebrewness of the scriptures by by trying to retain key phrases and linguistic stylings in English. I know some translators frown on this, claiming that a faithful translation should simply be done in idiomatic English, but I think it's interesting to see some of the original Hebrew phrases reflected in new English constructions, and I think it helps more of the poetry to show through.

Anyway, I've been reading this off and on for a while now: I read Genesis, put it away for a long time, then read Exodus, put it away again, and now I'm on Leviticus. A lot of it is not much more exciting than most bible translations, and most of the insights I've been having are due more to the commentary than the new translation, but tonight I came across a passage that really surprised me.

It's from Leviticus 19 and is written in a very rigid pattern that makes it feel very poetic. Fox's translation has a lot of energy to it, and each time the phrase, "I am YHWH!" is repeated the passage grown in intensity.

Here it is (I left out one section for the sake of rhythm--I hope that's not blasphemous):

YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying:
Speak to the entire community of the Children of Israel, and say to them:
Holy are you to be,
for holy am I, YHWH your God!

Each-man--his mother and his father you are to hold-in-awe,
and my Sabbaths you are to keep:
I am YHWH your God!

Do not turn-your-faces to no-gods,
and molten gods you are not to make yourselves,
I am YHWH your God!

...

Now when you harvest the harvest of your land,
you are not to finish (to the) edge of your field in harvesting,
the full-gathering of your harvest you are not to gather;
your vineyard you are not to glean,
the break-off of your vineyard you are not to gather--
rather, for the afflicted and for the sojourner you are to leave them,
I am YHWH your God!

You are not to steal,
you are not to lie,
you are not to deal-falsely, each-man with his fellow!
You are not to swear by my name falsely,
thus profaning the name of your God--
I am YHWH!

You are not to withhold (property from) your neighbor,
you are not to commit-robbery.
You are not to keep-overnight the working-wages of a hired-hand with you until morning.
You are not to insult the deaf,
before the blind your are not to place a stumbling-block:
rather, you are to hold your God in awe;
I am YHWH!

You are not to commit corruption in justice;
you are not to lift-up-in-favor the face of the poor,
you are not to overly-honor the face of the great;
with equity you are to judge your fellow!
You are not to traffic in slander among your kinspeople.
You are not to stand by the blood of your neighbor,
I am YHWH!

You are not to hate your brother in your heart;
rebuke, yes, rebuke your fellow,
that you not bear sin because of him!
You are not to take-vengeance, your not to retain-anger against the sons of your kinspeople--
but be-loving to your neighbor (as one) like yourself,
I am YHWH!

Who knew Leviticus contains such powerful poetry?

Also, I forget how much of the Old Testament law is about justice, compassion, caring for foreigners (sojourners) and the poor, and loving your neighbor as yourself. These are things I typically associate more with the teaching of Jesus than with Leviticus.