Laws about Honesty and Justice

23 “You must not spread a false report. Do not join[a] the wicked to be a malicious witness.(A)

“You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice.(B) Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.

“If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

“If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it.[b](C)

“You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit. Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty.(D) You must not take a bribe,(E) for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words[c] of the righteous. You must not oppress a resident alien;(F) you yourselves know how it feels to be a resident alien because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.

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Footnotes

  1. 23:1 Lit join hands with
  2. 23:5 Or load, you must refrain from leaving it to him; you must set it free with him
  3. 23:8 Or and subverts the cause

Various Laws

23 (A)You shall not give a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked person to be a (B)malicious witness. You shall not follow [a]the crowd in doing evil, nor shall you [b]testify in a dispute so as to join together with [c]a crowd in order to (C)pervert justice; (D)nor shall you [d]show favor to a poor person in his dispute.

(E)If you encounter your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. (F)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave it helpless for [e]its owner; you must arrange the load with him.

(G)You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. (H)Keep far from a false charge, and (I)do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for (J)I will not acquit the guilty.

(K)You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and [f]subverts the cause of the just.

(L)You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the [g]feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:2 Lit many
  2. Exodus 23:2 Or answer
  3. Exodus 23:2 Lit many
  4. Exodus 23:3 Lit honor
  5. Exodus 23:5 Lit him
  6. Exodus 23:8 Or distorts the words
  7. Exodus 23:9 Lit soul