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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Exodus 23:4

If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Forgiveness;   Neighbor;   Stray;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Duty;   Enemies;   Love;   Oxen;   Social Duties;   Social Life;   The Topic Concordance - Enemies;   Help;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ass, the Domestic;   Enemies;   Love to Man;   Ox, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Love;   Revenge;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Golden Rule;   Justice;   Law;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canaan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Judge (Office);   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agriculture;   Canon of the Old Testament;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Ten Commandments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Hating, Hatred;   Kindness (2);   Old Testament (I. Christ as Fulfilment of);   Originality;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Astray;   Covenant, the Book of the;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Enemy;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Enemy, Treatment of an;   Ethics;   Forgiveness;   Hammurabi;   Love;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
King James Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Lexham English Bible
"‘If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him.
New Century Version
"If you see your enemy's ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.
New English Translation
"If you encounter your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return it to him.
Amplified Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering off, you must bring it back to him.
New American Standard Bible
"If you encounter your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If thou meete thine enemies oxe, or his asse going astray, thou shalt bring him to him againe.
Legacy Standard Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.
Complete Jewish Bible
"If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him.
Darby Translation
—If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt certainly bring it back to him.
Easy-to-Read Version
"If you see a lost bull or donkey, then you must return it to its owner—even if the owner is your enemy.
English Standard Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.
George Lamsa Translation
If you meet your enemys ox or his ass going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
Good News Translation
"If you happen to see your enemy's cow or donkey running loose, take it back to him.
Christian Standard Bible®
“If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
Literal Translation
When you happen on the ox of your enemy, or his wandering ass, returning you shall return it to him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf thou mete thine enemies oxe or Asse, goinge astraye, thou shalt brynge the same vnto him agayne.
American Standard Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Bible in Basic English
If you come across the ox or the ass of one who is no friend to you wandering from its way, you are to take it back to him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If thou meete thyne enemies oxe or asse goyng astray, thou shalt bryng them to him agayne.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
King James Version (1611)
If thou meete thine enemies oxe or his asse going astray, thou shalt surely bring it backe to him againe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt turn them back and restore them to him.
English Revised Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Berean Standard Bible
If you encounter your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If thou meetist `the oxe of thin enemye, ethir the asse errynge, lede thou ayen to hym.
Young's Literal Translation
`When thou meetest thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou dost certainly turn it back to him;
Update Bible Version
If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
Webster's Bible Translation
If thou shalt meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
World English Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
New King James Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
New Living Translation
"If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.
New Life Bible
"If you meet a bull or donkey that belongs to a man who hates you, be sure to return the animal to him.
New Revised Standard
When you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When thou meetest the ox of thine enemy, or his ass, going astray, thou shalt, surely bring it back, to him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If thou meet thy enemy’s ox or ass going astray, bring it back to him.
Revised Standard Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you shall bring it back to him.
THE MESSAGE
"If you find your enemy's ox or donkey loose, take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, don't walk off and leave it. Help it up.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said: Don't spread harmful rumors or help a criminal by giving false evidence. 2 Always tell the truth in court, even if everyone else is dishonest and stands in the way of justice. 3 And don't favor the poor, simply because they are poor. 4 If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy. 5 If a donkey is overloaded and falls down, you must do what you can to help, even if it belongs to someone who doesn't like you. 6 Make sure that the poor are given equal justice in court. 7 Don't bring false charges against anyone or sentence an innocent person to death. I won't forgive you if you do. 8 Don't accept bribes. Judges are blinded and justice is twisted by bribes. 9 Don't mistreat foreigners. You were foreigners in Egypt, and you know what it is like.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 22:1-4, Job 31:29, Job 31:30, Proverbs 24:17, Proverbs 24:18, Proverbs 25:21, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, Luke 6:28, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Thessalonians 5:15

Reciprocal: Leviticus 6:3 - have found Leviticus 19:18 - not avenge Deuteronomy 22:4 - thou shalt surely Matthew 12:11 - and if Luke 10:34 - went Luke 14:5 - Which Romans 12:20 - if thine

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
You will have to sweat to earn a living; you were made out of soil, and you will once again turn into soil."
Genesis 17:8
I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.
Genesis 23:12
Once again, Abraham bowed down
Genesis 23:13
and said to Ephron, "In front of these witnesses, I offer you the full price, so I can bury my wife. Please accept my offer."
Genesis 23:16
Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid him the four hundred pieces of silver in front of everyone at the city gate. That's how Abraham got Ephron's property east of Hebron, which included the field with all of its trees, as well as Machpelah Cave at the end of the field.
Genesis 47:9
Jacob answered, "I have lived only a hundred thirty years, and I have had to move from place to place. My parents and my grandparents also had to move from place to place. But they lived much longer, and their life was not as hard as mine."
Genesis 50:13
They took him to Canaan and buried him in Machpelah Cave, the burial place Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite.
Leviticus 25:23
No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me—it isn't your land, and you only live there for a little while.
1 Chronicles 29:15
We are only foreigners living here on earth for a while, just as our ancestors were. And we will soon be gone, like a shadow that suddenly disappears.
Job 30:23
Soon he will send me home to the world of the dead, where we all must go.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray,.... Or any other beast, as the Samaritan version adds; for these are only mentioned for instances, as being more common, and creatures subject to go astray; now when such as these are met going astray, so as to be in danger of being lost to the owner, though he is an enemy; or as the Targum of Jonathan,

"whom thou hatest because of a sin, which thou alone knowest in him;''

yet this was not so far to prejudice the finder of his beasts against him, as to be careless about them, to suffer them to go on without acquainting him with them, or returning them to him, as follows:

thou shalt surely bring it back to him again; whether it be an ox, or an ass, or any other beast, the law is very strong and binding upon the finder to return it to his neighbour, though an enemy, and bring it either to his field or to his farm.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So far was the spirit of the law from encouraging personal revenge that it would not allow a man to neglect an opportunity of saving his enemy from loss.

Exodus 23:5

The sense appears to be: “If thou see the ass of thine enemy lying down under his burden, thou shalt forbear to pass by him; thou shalt help him in loosening the girths of the ass.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 23:4. If thou meet thine enemy's ox - going astray — From the humane and heavenly maxim in this and the following verse, our blessed Lord has formed the following precept: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you;" Matthew 5:44. A precept so plain, wise, benevolent, and useful, can receive no other comment than that which its influence on the heart of a kind and merciful man produces in his life.


 
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