Add parallel Print Page Options

who do not slander with their tongue
    and do no evil to their friends
    nor heap shame upon their neighbors;(A)

Read full chapter

whose tongue utters no slander,(A)
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;

Read full chapter

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.(A)

Read full chapter

10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.(A)

Read full chapter

One who secretly slanders a neighbor
    I will destroy.
A haughty look and an arrogant heart
    I will not tolerate.(A)

I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
    so that they may live with me;
whoever walks in the way that is blameless
    shall minister to me.(B)

No one who practices deceit
    shall remain in my house;
no one who utters lies
    shall continue in my presence.

Morning by morning I will destroy
    all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all evildoers
    from the city of the Lord.(C)

Read full chapter

Whoever slanders their neighbor(A) in secret,
    I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes(B) and a proud heart,
    I will not tolerate.

My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
    that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless(C)
    will minister to me.

No one who practices deceit
    will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
    will stand in my presence.

Every morning(D) I will put to silence
    all the wicked(E) in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer(F)
    from the city of the Lord.(G)

Read full chapter

Warning against Judging Another

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another speaks evil against the law and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.(A)

Read full chapter

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(A) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[a] or judges them(B) speaks against the law(C) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(D) but sitting in judgment on it.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.

The Golden Rule

12 “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.(A)

Read full chapter

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,(A) for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.(B)

Read full chapter

16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand idly by when the blood[a] of your neighbor is at stake: I am the Lord.(A)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 19.16 Heb stand against the blood

16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander(A) among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.(B) I am the Lord.

Read full chapter

11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.(A)

Read full chapter

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.(A) Anyone who does what is good is from God.(B) Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.(C)

Read full chapter

Beware of your neighbors,
    and put no trust in any of your kin,
for all your kin are supplanters,
    and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.(A)
They all deceive their neighbors,
    and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongues to speak lies;
    they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.[a](B)
Oppression upon oppression, deceit[b] upon deceit!
    They refuse to know me, says the Lord.(C)

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
I will now refine and test them,
    for what else can I do with the daughter of my people?(D)
Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceit through the mouth.
They all speak friendly words to their neighbors
    but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.(E)
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord,
    and shall I not bring retribution
    on a nation such as this?(F)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 9.5 Cn Compare Gk: Heb they weary themselves with iniquity. Your dwelling
  2. 9.6 Cn Compare Gk: Heb Your dwelling in the midst of deceit

“Beware of your friends;(A)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.(B)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[a](C)
    and every friend a slanderer.(D)
Friend deceives friend,(E)
    and no one speaks the truth.(F)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(G)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
You[b] live in the midst of deception;(H)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine(I) and test(J) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
Their tongue(K) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(L)
    but in their hearts they set traps(M) for them.(N)
Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(O) myself
    on such a nation as this?”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
  2. Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)

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) 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) nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.

“When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.(C)

“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)

“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.(E) 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) You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds officials and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.(G)

“You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.(H)

Sabbatical Year and Sabbath

10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,(I) 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard and with your olive orchard.

12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest so that your ox and your donkey may have relief and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.(J) 13 Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

The Annual Festivals

14 “Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me. 15 You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt.

“No one shall appear before me empty-handed.(K)

16 “You shall observe the Festival of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.(L) 17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.

18 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened or let the fat of my festival remain until the morning.

19 “The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.

“You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.(M)

The Conquest of Canaan Promised

20 “I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.(N) 21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.(O)

22 “But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.(P)

23 “When my angel goes in front of you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,(Q) 24 you shall not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces.(R) 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and I[b] will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.(S) 26 No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.(T) 27 I will send my terror in front of you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send swarms of hornets[c] in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.(U) 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you.(V) 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 I will set your borders from the Red Sea[d] to the sea of the Philistines and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you.(W) 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.(X) 33 They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”(Y)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 23.2 Gk: Heb lacks justice
  2. 23.25 Gk Vg: Heb he
  3. 23.28 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. 23.31 Or Sea of Reeds

Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.(A) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.(B)

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

“If you come across your enemy’s(F) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.(G) If you see the donkey(H) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

“Do not deny justice(I) to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge(J) and do not put an innocent(K) or honest person to death,(L) for I will not acquit the guilty.(M)

“Do not accept a bribe,(N) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

“Do not oppress a foreigner;(O) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

10 “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.(P) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 “Six days do your work,(Q) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.(R)

13 “Be careful(S) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;(T) do not let them be heard on your lips.(U)

The Three Annual Festivals

14 “Three times(V) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(W) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(X) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(Y)

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(Z) with the firstfruits(AA) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(AB) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(AC)

17 “Three times(AD) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

18 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.(AE)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.(AF)

19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(AG) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.(AH)

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

20 “See, I am sending an angel(AI) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.(AJ) 21 Pay attention to him and listen(AK) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive(AL) your rebellion,(AM) since my Name(AN) is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do(AO) all that I say, I will be an enemy(AP) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,(AQ) and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship(AR) them or follow their practices.(AS) You must demolish(AT) them and break their sacred stones(AU) to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God,(AV) and his blessing(AW) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness(AX) from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren(AY) in your land. I will give you a full life span.(AZ)

27 “I will send my terror(BA) ahead of you and throw into confusion(BB) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.(BC) 28 I will send the hornet(BD) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites(BE) out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals(BF) too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession(BG) of the land.

31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[a] to the Mediterranean Sea,[b] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(BH) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(BI) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(BJ) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(BK) to you.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.(A) Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation(B)

Read full chapter

Therefore, rid yourselves(A) of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander(B) of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,(C) so that by it you may grow up(D) in your salvation,

Read full chapter

30 slanderers, God-haters,[a] insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents,(A)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1.30 Or God-hated

30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;(A)

Read full chapter

Happy is the mortal who does this,
    the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
    and refrains from doing any evil.(A)

Read full chapter

Blessed(A) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(B) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

Read full chapter

Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,
    so the mind of kings is unsearchable.

Read full chapter

As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
    so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

Read full chapter