And a stranger [ger] *shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him:*¹ you shall not wrong him in speech or oppress him in money dealings. Do not say to him,² (קרס), Nebo stoopeth, alluding to Babylonian deities. ‘Yesterday you were worshipping Bel, Ḳores and Nebo, and till now pig’s flesh was between your teeth, and now you stand up and speak with me!’ And whence [do I learn] [not] to wrong him? He can retort, *For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt?*³ [The more correct version is found in Mekilta ad loc.: ‘If you wrong him he is able to wrong you? Therefore there is a saying, For ye were strangers, etc.’ Hence R. Nathan used to say: Do not taunt your neighbour with the blemish which you yourself have.⁴

footnotes: ¹ Ex. 22, 20. ² What follows is according to MS.K. For Bel, etc., cf. Isa. 46, 1, Bel boweth down ³ Ex. loc. cit. ⁴ [Cf. B.M. 59b (Sonc. ed.,p. 356).]

R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: Because [the proselyte’s] original nature was evil,⁵ Scripture gave many warnings in connection with him, as it is stated, And a stranger shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him; for ye know the heart of a stranger.⁶ Hence because his original nature was evil, Scripture gave many warnings concerning him.

footnotes: ⁵ [When he was a heathen, and ill-treatment by an Israelite may have the effect of making him relapse.] ⁶ Ex. 23, 9.

Beloved are proselytes [by God], for [Scripture] everywhere uses the same epithets of them as of Israel; [61b] as it is stated, But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen.⁷ is here interpreted as ibid. XLIV, 5, And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob—these are the proselytes of righteousness (cf. towards the end of this tractate). The order of the quotations in V is confused. The term ‘love’ is applied to Israel, as it is stated, I have loved you, saith the Lord,⁸ and the term ‘love’ is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, And He loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.⁹ Israel are called ‘servants’, as it is stated, For unto Me the children of Israel are servants,¹⁰ and proselytes are called ‘servants’, as it is stated, To be His servants.¹¹ The term ‘acceptable’ is used of Israel, as it is stated, And it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord,¹² and the term ‘acceptable’ is used of proselytes, as it is stated, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon Mine altar.¹³ The term ‘keeping’ is applied to Israel, as it is stated, The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand,¹⁴ and the term ‘keeping’ is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, The Lord preserveth the strangers.¹⁵ CXLVI, 9. The term ‘ministering’ is applied to Israel, as it is stated, But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord, men shall call you the ministers of our God,¹⁶ and the term ‘ministering’ is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, Also the aliens, that join themselves to the Lord, to minister unto Him.¹⁷ LVI, 6. Beloved are proselytes seeing that our father Abraham did not circumcise himself when he was twenty or thirty years of age, but when he was ninety-nine years old;¹⁸ since if he had circumcised himself when he was twenty or thirty years old, no Gentile would have become a proselyte when he had passed the age of twenty or thirty. The Holy One, blessed be He, kept putting it off¹⁹ until he had reached ninety-nine years, so as not to close the door in the face of proselytes, [and to allow more days and years so as to increase the reward of those who do His will, as it is stated, The Lord was pleased, for His righteousness’ sake, to make the teaching great and glorious].²⁰ Our father Abraham called himself a ger, as it is stated, I am a stranger [ger] and a sojourner with you.²¹ Similarly David, king of Israel, called himself a ger, as it is stated, For I am a stranger [ger] with Thee,²² and likewise it states, For we are strangers before Thee.²³ Beloved is the Land of Israel because it makes proselytes fit [to be received]. If a man says in the Land of Israel, ‘I am a proselyte’, he is accepted at once, but outside the Land of Israel he is not accepted unless his witnesses are with him. Beloved is the Land of Israel because it atones for iniquities and transgressions, as it is stated, And the inhabitant shall not say: ‘I am sick’, the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.²⁴ And so you find in the four classes that stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated, One shall say: ‘I am the Lord’s’; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.²⁵ XLIV, 5. One shall say: ‘I am the Lord’s’—this alludes to one who belongs wholly to the Omnipresent and has no admixture of sin. Another shall call himself by the name of Jacob—this alludes to the proselytes of righteousness.²⁶ Another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord—this alludes to those who repent. And surname himself by the name of Israel—this alludes to those who fear Heaven.

footnotes: ⁷ Isa. 41, 8. Jacob ⁸ Mal. 1, 2. ⁹ Deut. 10, 18. ¹⁰ Lev. 25, 55. V omits the quotation. ¹¹ Isa. 56, 6. ¹² Ex. 28, 38. ¹³ Isa. 56, 7. ¹⁴ Ps. 121, 5. ¹⁵ ibid. ¹⁶ Isa. 61, 6. ¹⁷ ibid. ¹⁸ Cf. Gen. 17, 24. ¹⁹ The verb has fallen out of V. ²⁰ Isa. 42, 21. The passage within brackets is added by MS.K. and H. ²¹ Gen. 23, 4. ²² Ps. 39, 13. ²³ 1 Chron. 29, 15. ²⁴ Isa. 33, 24. ²⁵ ibid. ²⁶ A term to denote the genuine and complete convert.