Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Helps People in Need

Equal Justice for All

The Lord said:

23 ^(A) Don't spread harmful rumors or help a criminal by giving false evidence.

² Always tell the truth in court, even if everyone else is^[a] dishonest and stands in the way of justice. ^3 (B) And don't favor the poor, simply because they are poor.

^4 (C) If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.

⁵ If a donkey is overloaded and falls down, you must do what you can to help, even if it belongs to someone who doesn't like you.^[b]

^6 (D) Make sure that the poor are given equal justice in court. ⁷ Don't bring false charges against anyone or sentence an innocent person to death. I won't forgive you if you do.

⁸ Don't accept bribes. Judges are blinded and justice is twisted by bribes.

^9 (E) Don't mistreat foreigners. You were foreigners in Egypt, and you know what it is like.

3 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? ² It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. ³ It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? ^4 (A) No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,

⁵ If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. ⁶ But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? ⁷ Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. ⁸ You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.