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Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Job 24:3

They have led away, the ass of the fatherless, and taken the widow’s ox for a pledge.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Creditor;   Dishonesty;   Homicide;   Orphan;   Pawn;   Wicked (People);   Widow;   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Credit System;   Creditors;   Pledges;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Creditors;   Fatherless;   Ox, the;   Widows;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pledge;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lending;   Orphan;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Widow;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Widow;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fatherless;   Justice;   Loan;   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Debt;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Debt, Debtor (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Pledge;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Debts;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Borrowing;   Fatherless;   Pledge;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherlessand take the widow’s ox as collateral.
Hebrew Names Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, And they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
King James Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
English Standard Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
New Century Version
They chase away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox when she has no money.
New English Translation
They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the widow's ox as a pledge.
Amplified Bible
"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
New American Standard Bible
"They drive away the donkeys of orphans; They seize the widow's ox as a pledge.
World English Bible
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, And they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They leade away the asse of the fatherles: and take the widowes oxe to pledge.
Legacy Standard Bible
They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Berean Standard Bible
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow's ox in pledge.
Contemporary English Version
They cheat orphans and widows by taking their donkeys and oxen.
Complete Jewish Bible
they drive away the orphan's donkey; as collateral, they seize the widow's ox.
Darby Translation
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge;
Easy-to-Read Version
They steal a donkey that belongs to an orphan. They take a widow's cow until she pays what she owes them. They take a nursing baby from its mother. They take a poor person's child to guarantee a loan.
George Lamsa Translation
They seize the ass of the fatherless, they take the widows ox for a pledge.
Good News Translation
They take donkeys that belong to orphans, and keep a widow's ox till she pays her debts.
Lexham English Bible
They drive away the donkey of orphans; they take the widow's ox as a pledge.
Literal Translation
they drive away the ass of orphans; they take the widow's ox for a pledge;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that dryue awaye the asse of the fatherlesse: that take ye wyddowes oxe for a pledge:
American Standard Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Bible in Basic English
They send away the ass of him who has no father, they take the widow's ox for debt.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
King James Version (1611)
They driue away the asse of the fatherlesse, they take the widowes oxe for a pledge.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They driue away the asse of the fatherlesse, and take the wydowes oxe for a pledge:
English Revised Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei driueden awei the asse of fadirlesse children, and token awei the cow of a widewe for a wed.
Update Bible Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Webster's Bible Translation
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
New King James Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge.
New Living Translation
They take the orphan's donkey and demand the widow's ox as security for a loan.
New Life Bible
They drive away the donkeys that belong to those who have no parents. They take the bull that belongs to a woman whose husband has died, as a promise that she will pay what she owes.
New Revised Standard
They drive away the donkey of the orphan; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The ass of the fatherless, they drive off, they take in pledge the ox of the widow;
Douay-Rheims Bible
They have driven away the ass of the fatherless, and have taken away the widow’s ox for a pledge.
Revised Standard Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Young's Literal Translation
The ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.

Contextual Overview

1 But why have the seasons been hidden from the Lord, 2 while the ungodly have passed over the bound, carrying off the flock with the shepherd? 3 They have led away, the ass of the fatherless, and taken the widow’s ox for a pledge. 4 They have turned aside the weak from the right way: and the meek of the earth have hidden themselves together. 5 And they have departed like asses in the field, having gone forth on my account according to their own order: his bread is sweet to his little ones. 6 They have reaped a field that was not their own before the time: the poor have laboured in the vineyards of the ungodly without pay and without food. 7 They have caused many naked to sleep without clothes, and they have taken away the covering of their body. 8 They are wet with the drops of the mountains: they have embraced the rock, because they had no shelter. 9 They have snatched the fatherless from the breast, and have afflicted the outcast. 10 And they have wrongfully caused others to sleep without clothing, and taken away the morsel of the hungry.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

drive: Job 22:6-9, Job 31:16, Job 31:17, Deuteronomy 24:6, Deuteronomy 24:10-13, Deuteronomy 24:17-21, 1 Samuel 12:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:26 - to pledge Deuteronomy 24:12 - General Job 6:27 - the fatherless Job 22:9 - widows Job 24:21 - doeth not Proverbs 1:13 - General Proverbs 23:10 - fatherless Ezekiel 18:7 - hath restored Ezekiel 33:15 - restore

Cross-References

Genesis 6:2
And it came to pass when men began to be numerous upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:4
And the Lord God said, My Spirit shall certainly not remain among these men for ever, because they are flesh, but their days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Genesis 14:19
And he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, who made heaven and earth,
Genesis 14:22
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I will stretch out my hand to the Lord the most high God, who made the heaven and the earth,
Genesis 21:23
Now therefore swear to me by God that thou wilt not injure me, nor my seed, nor my name, but according to the righteousness which I have performed with thee thou shalt deal with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.
Genesis 24:3
and I will adjure thee by the Lord the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou take not a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Chananites, with whom I dwell, in the midst of them.
Genesis 24:4
But thou shalt go instead to my country, where I was born, and to my tribe, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son Isaac.
Genesis 24:14
And it shall be, the virgin to whomsoever I shall say, Incline thy water-pot, that I may drink, and she shall say, Drink thou, and I will give thy camels drink, until they shall have done drinking—even this one thou hast prepared for thy servant Isaac, and hereby shall I know that thou hast dealt mercifully with my master Abraam.
Genesis 24:15
And it came to pass before he had done speaking in his mind, that behold, Rebecca the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, the wife of Nachor, and the same the brother of Abraam, came forth, having a water-pot on her shoulders.
Genesis 24:17
And the servant ran up to meet her, and said, Give me a little water to drink out of thy pitcher;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They drive away the ass of the fatherless,.... Who are left destitute of friends, and have none to take care of them, and provide for them; and who having one ass to carry their goods for them from place to place, or to ride upon, which though a creature of no great worth, yet of some usefulness, this they drove away from its pasture, or however from its right owner; and who having but one, it was the more cruel and inhuman to take it from him, see, 2 Samuel 12:3;

they take the widow's ox for a pledge; or oxen, the singular for the plural, with which her lands were ploughed, for a single ox could be but of little service: some render it "a cow" h, by the milk of which she and her family were chiefly supported, as many poor country families are by the means of a good milch cow; and to take this, on which her livelihood depended, and retain for a pledge, was very barbarous; when the law concerning pledges took place among the Jews, in the times of Moses, which it seems was in being before with others, whatsoever was useful to persons, either to keep them warm, or by which they got their bread, were not to be taken, at least not detained for a pledge, see Exodus 22:26.

h שור "pro bove foemina, vacca", Bolducius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They drive away the ass of the fatherless - Of the orphan, who cannot protect himself, and whose only property may consist in this useful animal. Injury done to an orphan is always regarded as a crime of special magnitude, for they are unable to protect themselves; see the notes at Job 22:9.

They take the widow’s ox for a pledge - See the notes at Job 22:6. The widow was dependent on her ox to till the ground, and hence, the crime of taking it away in pledge for the payment of a debt.


 
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