Exodus 22:21-27

The Message

²¹ “Don’t abuse or take advantage of strangers; you, remember, were once strangers in Egypt.

^22-24 “Don’t mistreat widows or orphans. If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure I’ll take them most seriously; I’ll show my anger and come raging among you with the sword, and your wives will end up widows and your children orphans.

²⁵ “If you lend money to my people, to any of the down-and-out among you, don’t come down hard on them and gouge them with interest.

^26-27 “If you take your neighbor’s coat as security, give it back before nightfall; it may be your neighbor’s only covering—what else does the person have to sleep in? And if I hear the neighbor crying out from the cold, I’ll step in—I’m compassionate.