Exodus 23:1-9

International Standard Version

Laws about Truthful Testimony

23 “You are not to spread a false report, nor are you to join forces^[a] with the wicked to be a malicious witness. ² You are not to follow the majority^[b] in doing wrong, and you are not to testify in a lawsuit so as to follow the majority and pervert justice. ³ You are not to show partiality to a poor man in his lawsuit.

⁴ “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you are to certainly return it to him. ⁵ If you see your enemy’s donkey lying helpless under its load, you must not abandon it; rather, you are certainly to return it to him.^[c]

⁶ “You are not to pervert justice for the poor among you^[d] in their lawsuits.^{[e] 7} Stay far away from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent or the righteous, because I won’t acquit the guilty. ⁸ You are not to take a bribe because a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the righteous. ⁹ You are not to oppress the resident alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”