Isaiah 5:23

THE MESSAGE

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!

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

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

¹⁸Doom to you who use lies to sell evil, who haul sin to market by the truckload, Who say, "What's God waiting for? Let him get a move on so we can see it. Whatever The Holy of Israel has cooked up, we'd like to check it out." ²⁰ Doom to you who call evil good and good evil, Who put darkness in place of light and light in place of darkness, Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! ²¹Doom to you who think you're so smart, who hold such a high opinion of yourselves! All you're good at is drinking—champion boozers who collect trophies from drinking bouts And then line your pockets with bribes from the guilty while you violate the rights of the innocent. ²⁴ But they won't get by with it. As fire eats stubble and dry grass goes up in smoke, Their souls will atrophy, their achievements crumble into dust, Because they said no to the revelation of God -of-the-Angel-Armies, Would have nothing to do with The Holy of Israel. ²⁵That's why God flamed out in anger against his people, reached out and knocked them down. The mountains trembled as their dead bodies piled up in the streets. But even after that, he was still angry, his fist still raised, ready to hit them again. He raises a flag, signaling a distant nation, whistles for people at the ends of the earth. And here they come— on the run! None drag their feet, no one stumbles, no one sleeps or dawdles. Shirts are on and pants buckled, every boot is spit-polished and tied. Their arrows are sharp, bows strung, The hooves of their horses shod, chariot wheels greased. Roaring like a pride of lions, the full-throated roars of young lions, They growl and seize their prey, dragging it off—no rescue for that one! They'll roar and roar and roar on that Day, like the roar of ocean billows. Look as long and hard as you like at that land, you'll see nothing but darkness and trouble. Every light in the sky will be blacked out by the clouds.

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.