Exodus 23:1-9
New King James Version
Justice for All
23 “You (A)shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an (B)unrighteous witness. 2 (C)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; (D)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 3 You shall not show partiality to a (E)poor man in his dispute.
4 (F)“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 (G)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
6 (H)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7 (I)Keep yourself far from a false matter; (J)do not kill the innocent and righteous. For (K)I will not justify the wicked. 8 And (L)you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
9 “Also (M)you shall not oppress a [a]stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
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- Exodus 23:9 sojourner
Exodus 23:1-9
Lexham English Bible
Regulations Regarding Justice
23 “‘You will not spread[a] a false report. Do not lift your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. 2 You will not follow[b] a majority[c] for evil, and you will not testify concerning a legal dispute to turn aside after a majority[d] to pervert justice. 3 You will not be partial to a powerless person[e] in his legal dispute.
4 “‘If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of your enemy lying down under its burden, you will refrain from abandoning him. You will surely arrange[f] it with him.
6 “‘You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute. 7 You will stay far from a false charge,[g] and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, because I will not declare the wicked righteous.[h] 8 And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes the sighted blind and ruins the words of the righteous. 9 And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings[i] of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
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- Exodus 23:1 Literally “lift”
- Exodus 23:2 Literally “be behind”
- Exodus 23:2 Or “many” or “the many”
- Exodus 23:2 Or “many” or “the many”
- Exodus 23:3 Or “a poor person”
- Exodus 23:5 Or “restore” or “put in order”
- Exodus 23:7 Literally “word of deception”
- Exodus 23:7 Or “treat as innocent” or “acquit”
- Exodus 23:9 Or “inner self” or “soul”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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