Isaiah 5:23

Good News Translation

But for just a bribe you let the guilty go free, and you keep the innocent from getting justice.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
who acquit the guilty for a bribeand deprive the innocent of justice.

Hebrew Names Version
who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

King James Version
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

English Standard Version
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!

New American Standard Bible
Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

New Century Version
They take money to set the guilty free and don't allow good people to be judged fairly.

Amplified Bible
Who justify the wicked and acquit the guilty for a bribe, And take away the rights of those who are in the right!

World English Bible
who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Geneva Bible (1587)
Which iustifie the wicked for a rewarde, and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Who declare the wicked righteous for a bribe,And remove the righteous standing of the ones who are righteous!

Berean Standard Bible
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of justice.

Contemporary English Version
You accept bribes to let the guilty go free, and you cheat the innocent out of a fair trial.

Complete Jewish Bible
who acquit the guilty for bribes but deny justice to the righteous!

Darby Translation
who justify the wicked for a bribe, and turn away the righteousness of the righteous from them!

Easy-to-Read Version
And if you pay them enough money, they will forgive a criminal. But they will not let good people be judged fairly.

George Lamsa Translation
Who justify the guilty because of his bribe, and take away justice from the righteous!

Lexham English Bible
Those who acquit the guilty because of a bribe and remove the justice of the innocent from him.

Literal Translation
who justify the wicked for a bribe, and turn aside the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
These gyue sentence with the vngodly for rewardes, but condemne the iust cause of the rightuous.

American Standard Version
that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Bible in Basic English
Who for a reward give support to the cause of the sinner, and who take away the righteousness of the upright from him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
That justify the wicked for a reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

King James Version (1611)
Which iustifie the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousnes of the righteous from him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wo be vnto them that geue sentence with the vngodly for rewardes, but condempne the iust cause of the ryghteous.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
who justify the ungodly for rewards, and take away the righteousness of the righteous.

English Revised Version
which justify the wicked for a reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and ye iustifien a wickid man for yiftis, and ye taken awei the riytfulnesse of a iust man fro hym.

Update Bible Version
that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Webster's Bible Translation
Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

New English Translation
They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff, they ignore the just cause of the innocent.

New King James Version
Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!

New Living Translation
They take bribes to let the wicked go free, and they punish the innocent.

New Life Bible
They take money in secret for saying that bad people are good. And they take away the rights of those who are not guilty.

New Revised Standard
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of their rights!

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who justify the lawless, for a bribe, - Whereas the righteousness of the righteous, they take from him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him.

Revised Standard Version
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!

Young's Literal Translation
Declaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ You are doomed! You are unable to break free from your sins. ¹⁹ You say, "Let the Lord hurry up and do what he says he will, so that we can see it. Let Israel's holy God carry out his plans; let's see what he has in mind." ²⁰ You are doomed! You call evil good and call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter. ²¹ You are doomed! You think you are wise, so very clever. ²² You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks! ²³ But for just a bribe you let the guilty go free, and you keep the innocent from getting justice. ²⁴ So now, just as straw and dry grass shrivel and burn in the fire, your roots will rot and your blossoms will dry up and blow away, because you have rejected what the Lord Almighty, Israel's holy God, has taught us. ²⁵ The Lord is angry with his people and has stretched out his hand to punish them. The mountains will shake, and the bodies of those who die will be left in the streets like rubbish. Yet even then the Lord 's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish. ²⁶ The Lord gives a signal to call for a distant nation. He whistles for them to come from the ends of the earth. And here they come, swiftly, quickly! ²⁷ None of them grow tired; none of them stumble. They never doze or sleep. Not a belt is loose; not a sandal strap is broken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

justify: Exodus 23:6-9, Proverbs 17:15, Proverbs 24:24, Proverbs 31:4, Proverbs 31:5

for reward: Isaiah 1:23, Deuteronomy 16:19, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Proverbs 17:23, Micah 3:11, Micah 7:3

take: Isaiah 10:2, 1 Kings 21:13, Psalms 94:21, Matthew 23:35, Matthew 27:24, Matthew 27:25, James 5:6

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:8 - thou shalt take Deuteronomy 25:1 - General Psalms 50:17 - castest Psalms 50:18 - consentedst Proverbs 18:5 - to overthrow Isaiah 32:7 - instruments Isaiah 59:14 - General Hosea 7:5 - made Amos 2:6 - because Habakkuk 2:5 - he transgresseth John 7:24 - General Acts 8:33 - judgment

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Which justify the wicked for reward,.... This is either spoken of judges, and civil magistrates, who gave the cause in favour of the wicked, that bribed them, contrary to law, Deuteronomy 16:19 or rather of the Scribes and Pharisees, who pronounced the wicked righteous men, provided they kept the traditions of the elders, and paid tithes of all they possessed, and gave them money for their long prayers, Matthew 23:14:

and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him; by condemning them as unrighteous persons: so the Jews did Christ and his apostles; they pronounced them wicked, and condemned them to death; and as much as in them lay took away their righteousness from them, by taking away their character from them as righteous persons among men; though their righteousness itself could not be taken away, it being an everlasting one.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which justify - This refers, doubtless, to magistrates. They gave unjust decisions.

For reward - For bribes.

And take away the righteousness - That is, they do not decide the cause in favor of those who have just claims, but are determined by a bribe; see the note at Isaiah 1:23. It is remarkable, that this is introduced in immediate connection with their being mighty to mingle strong drink. One effect of intemperance is to make a man ready to be “bribed.” Its effect is seen as clearly in courts of justice, and in the decisions of such courts, as any where. A man that is intemperate, or that indulges in strong drink, is not qualified to be a judge.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 5:23. The righteous — צדיק tsaddik, singular, Sept. Vulg., and two editions.