Shevuos 6:7 - 7:1

המלוה את חבירו על משכון – he becomes upon it a paid bailee, and there is no difference if he took a pledge at the time of his loan, nr whether he took a pledge not at the time of his loan. But if he lost [it] or it was stolen, and the pledge was corresponding to the lien, his pledge is expended for his debt, and they don’t have anything against each other. But if the lien is greater [in value] than the pledge, the debtor/borrower pays the creditor what the debt was of greater worth. But if the pledge was greater [in value] than the lien, the creditor pays the debtor/borrower. But if it was lost by accident where a paid bailee is exempt, the lender is also exempt, and he takes an oath that through this accident [the object lent] was lost, and he collects the entire lien.

שקל – one half a Sela.

לא כי – it was not like this.

אלא סלע הלויתני עליו ושלשה דינרים היה כו' – for he admitted part of the claim, for the Sela is worth four Denarim. And lince the borrower/debtor is liable to take an oath on how much his pledge was worth, and the creditor/lender is liable to take an oath concerning the pledge that is not in his possession, and even though he pays its value because we suspect that his eye was upon it, the Jewish Court has the creditor take an oath first that the pledge is not in his possession/domain, and afterwards it has the borrower/debtor take an oath how much it was worth, lest the borrower take an other first and he is not exact as to its appraisement/estimated value and the creditor produces the pledge which will make him ineligible for testimony and for an oath. But what we teach in the concluding clause [of the Mishnah]: “And upon whom is the oath imposed,” it is stated, upon whom is the oath first imposed?

מי שהפקדון אצלו – the creditor/lender with whom the pledge was with takes an oath that the pledge was not in his possession/in his domain.

כל הנשבעין. נשבעין ולא משלמין – The Torah did not institute for the person making a claim to take an oath and to take/regain their due, but rather for the one investigated that he takes an oath and does not pay, as it is written (Exodus 22:10): “[an oath before the LORD shall decide between the two of them that one has not laid hands on the property of the other;] the owner must acquiesce, and no restitution shall be made.” Whomever that it is upon him to pay is the one who must take an oath.

ואלו נשבעין ונוטלין – that the Sages established for them to take an oath and to regain their due. And all of this is explained further on in our Mishnah.

השכיר – The Sages established for him to take an oath and to take his due because the owner of the house/employer is preoccupied with all of his workers and does not remember. And these words are when he makes a claim at the present time. The hired day laborer (see Tractate Bava Metzia, Chapter 9, Mishnah 12) his present time is all day long that is after him , but if they made a claim against him after his time, the owner of the house takes an equitable oath (which is applied if one is sued for a debt, denies the later entirely (כופר הכל), in contradistinction to the legal oath which is required when the defendant admits a part of the time ( מודה במקצת) . It being presumed that nobody will go to the law unless he has a claim, it is a matter of equity to put the opponent to an oath, to which he may in return put the claimant (see Talmud Shevuot 40b) – that he paid him and departed, but if he had been hired without witnesses being present, also, the hired person cannot take an oath and take his due because he (i.e., the owner of the house/employer) can say to him: “I never hired you.” He also can say to him: “I hired you and gave you your wages.”

והוא אומר נתתי – but he said to him: “I stipulated/agreed upon two [Zuz] and he (i.e., the employer) says, “I stipulated for you only one (see Talmud Shevuot 45b). The owner takes the oath of the Torah that it is according to his words, and he only gives him one.