Exodus 23:1-9

International Children’s Bible

Laws About Fairness

23 “You must not tell lies. You might be a witness in court. Don’t help a bad person by telling lies.

² “You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it. You might be a witness in court. Then you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is. ³ A poor man might be in court. You must not take his side just because he is poor.

⁴ “You might see your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away. Then you must return it to him. ⁵ You might see that your enemy’s donkey has fallen because its load is too heavy. You must not leave it there. You must help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet.

⁶ “You must not be unfair to a poor man when he is in court. ⁷ You must not lie when you accuse someone in court. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment. This is because I will not treat guilty people as if they were innocent.

⁸ “You must not accept money from a person who wants you to lie in court. Such money will not let you see what is right. Such money makes good people tell lies.

⁹ “You must not mistreat a foreigner. You know how it feels to be a foreigner. You were foreigners in Egypt.