ארבעה שומרים הם – [and their laws are three].

נושא שכר – bailee with payment

נשבע על הכל – that he was not negligent.

משלם על הכל – all those that we taught in our Mishnah, taken captive, and/or injured and/or who died and/or was something stolen and/or lost. But if it (i.e., the animal) had died on account of the labor [done], he does not pay, because this cannot be established as a measure of the borrowing. But this Mishnah is explained in [Bava Metzia, Chapter 7] “One who Hires Workers”/”HaSokher Et HaPoalim.”

ואמר אמן פטור – for if he had admitted it, he would not pay anything; it is found there is no denial of money [owed], and even though he had taken a false oath, the Torah did not obligate him a sacrifice for the oath other than where he denied money [owed]. Similarly, the judge cannot make him take an oath other than on a matter that if he admitted, he would be liable to pay money.

היכן שורי – He (i.e., the owner) said to the unpaid bailee, “where is my ox?” He said to him: “It was lost.”

משביעך אני ואמר אמן והעדים מעידים אותו שאכלו משלם את הקרן – [he pays the principle] but not the double-payment, but if he admitted it on his own prior to the witnesses coming, he would pay the principle plus one-fifth and a make a guilt-offering, like the law of the oath of a deposit, which does not come until he admits and repents from his wickedness and come to be forgiven/expiated.

אמר ליה נגנב משביעך אני וכו' – since an unpaid bailee who exempts himself with the claim of the thief and takes an oath and witnesses came, he pays double, as it is written (Exodus 22:7): “If the thief is not caught, [the owner of the house shall depose before God that he has not laid hands on the other’s property].” “if the thief was not caught” – like as he said, but that he himself had stolen it, he should pay double. But if he came to exempt himself with the claim that it was lost, he does not pay double.

הודה מעצמו משלם קרן וחומש ואשם – but not the double payment, for a person who admits to a fine is exempt.

אמר לאחד מן השוק – here we do not have the reading “I impose an oath upon you.” Because without an oath, he would be liable for double payment. For this one is an actual thief, and regarding a thief, it is written (Exodus 22:6): “[if the thief is caught,] he shall pay double,” and he does not need an oath.

עדים שממשמשין ובאין – it is teaching us something remarkable – for even though on account of fright of the witnesses, he admits, even so, the admission is a benefit and he is exempted from the double payment. And since there is no double payment, he is exempt even from the slaughtering that he denied that and the witnesses came that he had stolen, and slaughtered or sold. For wherever there is no double payment, there is no liability for slaughtering, for the All-Merciful mentioned “four-fold payment or five-fold payment” (see Exodus 21:37: “When a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep.”), and not “three-fold payment for four-fold payment,” and because there is not double-payment, less than this is one.

אמר לשואל וכו' פטור – for behold even when he was sworn to a lie, he obligated himself in payments and this oath is not a denial of money [owed].

חייב – for behold, he denied the money [owed] , for had he admitted, he would be make himself liable.

מת והוא נשבר וכו' פטור – for it had admitted [to it], he would not pay. And similar, if [he said] that it had been stolen but [in reality] he lost it, or if [he said that] he lost it [but in reality] it had been stolen, he is exempt, for behold he changed from one liability to another and didn’t deny [that he owed] money in this oath.

אמר לו אבד או נגנב והוא שמת או נשבה וכו' פטור – for behold, he changed from something exempt to a liability and he lost out in his oath.