Exodus 23:1-9
Legacy Standard Bible
23 “(A)You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a (B)malicious witness. 2 You shall not follow [a]the masses in doing evil, nor shall you [b]testify in a case so as to turn aside after [c]the masses in order to [d](C)cause justice to be turned aside; 3 (D)nor shall you [e]be partial to a poor man in his case.
4 “(E)If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. 5 (F)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.
6 “(G)You shall not cause the justice due to your needy brother to be turned aside in his case. 7 (H)Keep far from a [f]false charge, and (I)do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for (J)I will not justify the guilty.
8 “(K)And you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and [g]subverts the cause of the [h]just.
9 “(L)And you shall not oppress a sojourner, since you yourselves know the soul of a sojourner, for you also were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
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- Exodus 23:2 Lit many men
- Exodus 23:2 Or answer
- Exodus 23:2 Lit many men
- Exodus 23:2 Or pervert justice, cf. 23:6
- Exodus 23:3 Lit honor
- Exodus 23:7 Lit lying word
- Exodus 23:8 Or distorts the words
- Exodus 23:8 Or righteous
Exodus 23:1-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Justice for All
23 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness.(A) 2 You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice,[a](B) 3 nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.
4 “When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.(C)
5 “When you see the donkey of one who hates you struggling under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.(D)
6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.(E) 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty.(F) 8 You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds officials and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.(G)
9 “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.(H)
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- 23.2 Gk: Heb lacks justice
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.