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the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Exodus 23:6

Make sure that the poor are given equal justice in court.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Court;   Injustice;   Justice;   Poor;   Rulers;   The Topic Concordance - Judgment;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Injustice;   Magistrates;   Poor, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Judge;   Justice;   Law;   Poor;   Punishment;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Justice;   Poor and Poverty, Theology of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Hammurabi;   Judge (Office);   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Poverty;   Priests and Levites;   Ten Commandments;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Other Laws;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amos (1);   Blindness, Judicial;   Covenant, the Book of the;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Judge;   Justice;   Poor;   Wrest;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Commandments, the 613;   Deuteronomy;   Hatred;   Judaism;   Judge;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
King James Version
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
Lexham English Bible
"‘You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute.
New Century Version
"You must not be unfair to a poor person when he is in court.
New English Translation
"You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.
Amplified Bible
"You shall not pervert (bend) the justice due to your poor in his dispute.
New American Standard Bible
"You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not ouerthrowe the right of thy poore in his sute.
Legacy Standard Bible
"You shall not cause the justice due to your needy brother to be turned aside in his case.
Complete Jewish Bible
(v) "Do not deny anyone justice in his lawsuit simply because he is poor.
Darby Translation
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
Easy-to-Read Version
"In court, don't let anyone take advantage of a person simply because that person is poor.
English Standard Version
"You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.
George Lamsa Translation
You shall not pervert the justice due to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Good News Translation
"Do not deny justice to a poor person when he appears in court.
Christian Standard Bible®
“You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.
Literal Translation
You shall not pervert the judgment of your needy one in his lawsuit.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not wraist the righte of thy poore in his cause.
American Standard Version
Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to thy poor in his cause.
Bible in Basic English
Let no wrong decisions be given in the poor man's cause.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt not hinder the right of thy poore in his suite.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
King James Version (1611)
Thou shalt not wrest the iudgement of thy poore in his cause.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not wrest the sentence of the poor in his judgment.
English Revised Version
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
Berean Standard Bible
You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not bowe in the doom of a pore man.
Young's Literal Translation
`Thou dost not turn aside the judgment of thy needy one in his strife;
Update Bible Version
You shall not pervert the justice [due] to your poor in his cause.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
World English Bible
"You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
New King James Version
"You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.
New Living Translation
"In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.
New Life Bible
Do not keep from doing what is right and fair in trying to help a poor brother when he has a problem.
New Revised Standard
You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou shalt not pervert the vindication of thy needy one in his quarrel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not go aside in the poor man’s judgment.
Revised Standard Version
"You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his suit.
THE MESSAGE
"When there is a dispute concerning your poor, don't tamper with the justice due them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.

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

Exodus 23:2, Exodus 23:3, Deuteronomy 16:19, Deuteronomy 27:19, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Job 31:13, Job 31:21, Job 31:22, Psalms 82:3, Psalms 82:4, Ecclesiastes 5:8, Isaiah 10:1, Isaiah 10:2, Jeremiah 5:28, Jeremiah 6:28, Jeremiah 7:6, Amos 5:11, Amos 5:12, Micah 3:1-4, Zephaniah 3:1-4, Malachi 3:5, James 2:5, James 2:6

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:16 - General Exodus 22:9 - the cause of both parties Deuteronomy 1:17 - ye shall hear Deuteronomy 24:17 - pervert Deuteronomy 25:1 - General 2 Samuel 23:3 - must be just Psalms 82:2 - judge Proverbs 22:22 - oppress Proverbs 24:24 - that Isaiah 5:23 - justify Isaiah 33:15 - shaketh Jeremiah 22:3 - Execute Habakkuk 1:4 - wrong 2 Peter 3:16 - wrest

Cross-References

Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold.
Genesis 14:14
that his nephew Lot had been taken away. Three hundred eighteen of Abram's servants were fighting men, so he took them and followed the enemy as far north as the city of Dan.
Genesis 18:12
So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?"
Genesis 21:22
About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, "God blesses everything you do!
Genesis 23:1
When Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her,
Genesis 23:4
"I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land."
Genesis 23:5
"Sir," they answered, "you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead."
Genesis 24:18
"I'll be glad to," she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank.
Genesis 24:35
The Lord has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many slaves.
Genesis 31:35
Rachel said, "Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I am having my period." Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. As the poor man was not to be favoured when his cause was bad through an affected pity for him as a poor man, so his judgment was not to be wrested or perverted, when his cause was good, because of his poverty; which is too often the case, through the power of rich men, and the prevalence of their gifts and bribes, and to curry favour with them: the phrase, "thy poor", is very emphatic, and intended to engage judges to regard them, as being of the same flesh and blood with them, of the same nation and religion; and who were particularly committed to their care and protection under God, who is the Judge and protector of the poor, of the widow and the fatherless.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Four precepts evidently addressed to those in authority as judges:

(a) To do justice to the poor. ComparingExodus 23:6; Exodus 23:6 with Exodus 23:3, it was the part of the judge to defend the poor against the oppression of the rich, and the part of the witness to take care lest his feelings of natural pity should tempt him to falsify evidence.

(b) To be cautious of inflicting capital punishment on one whose guilt was not clearly proved. A doubtful case was rather to be left to God Himself, who would “not justify the wicked,” nor suffer him to go unpunished though he might be acquitted by an earthly tribunal. Exodus 23:7.

(c) To take no bribe or present which might in any way pervert judgment Exodus 23:8; compare Num 16:15; 1 Samuel 12:3; Acts 26:26.

(d) To vindicate the rights of the stranger Exodus 23:9 - rather, the foreigner. (Exodus 20:10 note.) This verse is a repetition of Exodus 22:21, but the precept is there addressed to the people at large, while it is here addressed to the judges in reference to their official duties. The caution was perpetually necessary. Compare Ezekiel 22:7; Malachi 3:5. The word rendered “heart” is more strictly “soul,” and would be better represented here by feelings.



Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 23:6. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor — Thou shalt neither countenance him in his crimes, nor condemn him in his righteousness. See Exodus 23:5; Exodus 23:7.


 
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