(A)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.

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“Do not deny justice(A) to your poor people in their lawsuits.

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And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
(A)Against perjurers,
Against those who (B)exploit wage earners and (C)widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

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“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(A) adulterers(B) and perjurers,(C) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(D) who oppress the widows(E) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(F) among you of justice, but do not fear(G) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

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Listen, my beloved brethren: (A)Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be (B)rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom (C)which He promised to those who love Him? But (D)you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you (E)and drag you into the courts?

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Listen, my dear brothers and sisters:(A) Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world(B) to be rich in faith(C) and to inherit the kingdom(D) he promised those who love him?(E) But you have dishonored the poor.(F) Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?(G)

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28 They have grown (A)fat, they are sleek;
Yes, they [a]surpass the deeds of the wicked;
They do not plead (B)the cause,
The cause of the fatherless;
(C)Yet they prosper,
And the right of the needy they do not defend.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 5:28 Or pass over or overlook

28     and have grown fat(A) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(B)
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(C)

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Assyria Shall Be Broken

10 “Woe to those who (A)decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.

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10 Woe(A) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(B)
to deprive(C) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(D)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.(E)

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The Vanity of Gain and Honor

If you (A)see the oppression of the poor, and the violent [a]perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for (B)high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:8 wresting

Riches Are Meaningless

If you see the poor oppressed(A) in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

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19 (A)‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

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19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner,(A) the fatherless or the widow.”(B)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

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19 (A)You shall not pervert justice; (B)you shall not [a]show partiality, (C)nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and [b]twists the words of the righteous.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:19 Lit. regard faces
  2. Deuteronomy 16:19 perverts

19 Do not pervert justice(A) or show partiality.(B) Do not accept a bribe,(C) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.

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15 ‘You shall do no injustice in (A)judgment. You shall not (B)be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.

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15 “‘Do not pervert justice;(A) do not show partiality(B) to the poor or favoritism to the great,(C) but judge your neighbor fairly.(D)

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(A)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; (B)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall not show partiality to a (C)poor man in his dispute.

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“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice(A) by siding with the crowd,(B) and do not show favoritism(C) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

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The Wickedness of Jerusalem

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the Lord,
She has not drawn near to her God.

(A)Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are (B)evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
Her (C)prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have [a]polluted the sanctuary,
They have done (D)violence to the law.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:4 Or profaned

Jerusalem

Woe to the city of oppressors,(A)
    rebellious(B) and defiled!(C)
She obeys(D) no one,
    she accepts no correction.(E)
She does not trust(F) in the Lord,
    she does not draw near(G) to her God.
Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;(H)
her rulers are evening wolves,(I)
    who leave nothing for the morning.(J)
Her prophets are unprincipled;
    they are treacherous people.(K)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
    and do violence to the law.(L)

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Wicked Rulers and Prophets

And I said:

“Hear now, O heads of Jacob,
And you (A)rulers of the house of Israel:
(B)Is it not for you to know justice?
You who hate good and love evil;
Who strip the skin from [a]My people,
And the flesh from their bones;
Who also (C)eat the flesh of My people,
Flay their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And chop them in pieces
Like meat for the pot,
(D)Like flesh in the caldron.”

Then (E)they will cry to the Lord,
But He will not hear them;
He will even hide His face from them at that time,
Because they have been evil in their deeds.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:2 Lit. them

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(G)
At that time he will hide his face(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(I)

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11 (A)Therefore, because you [a]tread down the poor
And take grain [b]taxes from him,
Though (B)you have built houses of hewn stone,
Yet you shall not dwell in them;
You have planted [c]pleasant vineyards,
But you shall not drink wine from them.
12 For I (C)know your manifold transgressions
And your mighty sins:
(D)Afflicting the just and taking bribes;
(E)Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 5:11 trample
  2. Amos 5:11 Or tribute
  3. Amos 5:11 desirable

11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(A)
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(B)
    you will not live in them;(C)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.(D)
12 For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.(E)

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(F)
    and deprive the poor(G) of justice in the courts.(H)

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