Keluaran 23:3

23:3 and you must not show partiality ¹  to a poor man in his lawsuit.

Keluaran 23:6-7

23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 23:7 Keep your distance ²  from a false charge ³  – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, ⁴  for I will not justify the wicked. ⁵ 

Keluaran 23:1

Justice

23:1 ⁶ “You must not give ⁷  a false report. ⁸  Do not make common cause ⁹  with the wicked ¹⁰  to be a malicious ¹¹  witness.

1 Samuel 12:3-4

12:3 Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the Lord and before his chosen king. ¹²  Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me, ¹³  and I will return it to you!”

12:4 They replied, “You have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.”

Ayub 22:6-9

22:6 “For you took pledges ¹⁴  from your brothers

for no reason,

and you stripped the clothing from the naked. ¹⁵ 

22:7 You gave the weary ¹⁶  no water to drink

and from the hungry you withheld food.

22:8 Although you were a powerful man, ¹⁷  owning land, ¹⁸ 

an honored man ¹⁹  living on it, ²⁰ 

22:9 you sent widows away empty-handed,

and the arms ²¹  of the orphans you crushed. ²² 

Ayub 29:11-17

Job’s Benevolence

29:11 “As soon as the ear heard these things, ²³  it blessed me, ²⁴ 

and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me,

29:12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help,

and the orphan who ²⁵  had no one to assist him;

29:13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, ²⁶ 

and I made the widow’s heart rejoice; ²⁷ 

29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, ²⁸ 

my just dealing ²⁹  was like a robe and a turban;

29:15 I was eyes for the blind

and feet for the lame;

29:16 I was a father ³⁰  to the needy,

and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

29:17 I broke the fangs ³¹  of the wicked,

and made him drop ³²  his prey from his teeth.

Ayub 31:13-16

31:13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants

or my female servants

when they disputed ³³  with me,

31:14 then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment; ³⁴ 

when he intervenes, ³⁵ 

how will I respond to him?

31:15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? ³⁶ 

Did not the same one form us in the womb?

31:16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, ³⁷ 

or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

Mazmur 82:3-4

82:3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! ³⁸ 

Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!

82:4 Rescue the poor and needy!

Deliver them from the power ³⁹  of the wicked!

Amsal 22:22-23

22:22 Do not exploit ⁴⁰  a poor person because he is poor

and do not crush the needy in court, ⁴¹ 

22:23 for the Lord will plead their case ⁴² 

and will rob those who are robbing ⁴³  them.

Yeremia 5:28-29

5:28 That is how ⁴⁴  they have grown fat and sleek. ⁴⁵ 

There is no limit to the evil things they do. ⁴⁶ 

They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.

They do not defend the rights of the poor.

5:29 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.

“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this! ⁴⁷ 

Amos 5:11-12

5:11 Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops ⁴⁸ 

and exact a grain tax from them,

you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone,

nor will you drink the wine from the fine ⁴⁹  vineyards you planted. ⁵⁰ 

5:12 Certainly ⁵¹  I am aware of ⁵²  your many rebellious acts ⁵³ 

and your numerous sins.

You ⁵⁴  torment the innocent, you take bribes,

and you deny justice to ⁵⁵  the needy at the city gate. ⁵⁶ 

Mikha 2:1-3

Land Robbers Will Lose their Land

2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, ⁵⁷ 

those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. ⁵⁸ 

As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, ⁵⁹ 

because they have the power to do so.

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ⁶⁰ 

They defraud people of their homes, ⁶¹ 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ⁶² 

2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! ⁶³ 

It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. ⁶⁴ 

You will no longer ⁶⁵  walk proudly,

for it will be a time of catastrophe.

Mikha 3:1-4

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ⁶⁶  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁶⁷  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ⁶⁸ 

3:2 yet you ⁶⁹  hate what is good, ⁷⁰ 

and love what is evil. ⁷¹ 

You flay my people’s skin ⁷² 

and rip the flesh from their bones. ⁷³ 

3:3 You ⁷⁴  devour my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin,

and crush their bones.

You chop them up like flesh in a pot ⁷⁵  –

like meat in a kettle.

3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, ⁷⁶ 

but he will not answer them.

He will hide his face from them at that time,

because they have done such wicked deeds.”

Mikha 7:3-4

7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; ⁷⁷ 

government officials and judges take bribes, ⁷⁸ 

prominent men make demands,

and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them. ⁷⁹ 

7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;

the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. ⁸⁰ 

The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen –

your appointed time of punishment – is on the way, ⁸¹ 

and then you will experience confusion. ⁸² 

Yakobus 2:2-5

2:2 For if someone ⁸³  comes into your assembly ⁸⁴  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, ⁸⁵  “You sit here in a good place,” ⁸⁶  and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? ⁸⁷  2:4 If so, have you not made distinctions ⁸⁸  among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? ⁸⁹  2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁹⁰  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

[23:3]  ¹ tn The point here is one of false sympathy and honor, the bad sense of the word הָדַר (hadar; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 237).

[23:7]  ² tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”

[23:7]  ³ tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.

[23:7]  ⁴ tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).

[23:7]  ⁵ sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.

[23:1]  ⁶ sn People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9).

[23:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “take up, lift, carry” (נָשָׂא, nasa’). This verb was also used in the prohibition against taking “the name of Yahweh in vain.” Sometimes the object of this verb is physical, as in Jonah 1:12 and 15. Used in this prohibition involving speech, it covers both originating and repeating a lie.

[23:1]  ⁸ tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shav’).

[23:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”

[23:1]  ¹⁰ tn The word “wicked” (רָשָׁע, rasha’) refers to the guilty criminal, the person who is doing something wrong. In the religious setting it describes the person who is not a member of the covenant and may be involved in all kinds of sin, even though there is the appearance of moral and spiritual stability.

[23:1]  ¹¹ tn The word חָמָס (khamas) often means “violence” in the sense of social injustices done to other people, usually the poor and needy. A “malicious” witness would do great harm to others. See J. W. McKay, “Exodus 23:1-43, 6-8: A Decalogue for Administration of Justice in the City Gate,” VT 21 (1971): 311-25.

[12:3]  ¹² tn Heb “anointed [one].”

[12:3]  ¹³ tn The words “tell me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:6]  ¹⁴ tn The verb חָבַל (khaval) means “to take pledges.” In this verse Eliphaz says that Job not only took as pledge things the poor need, like clothing, but he did it for no reason.

[22:6]  ¹⁵ tn The “naked” here refers to people who are poorly clothed. Otherwise, a reading like the NIV would be necessary: “you stripped the clothes…[leaving them] naked.” So either he made them naked by stripping their garments off, or they were already in rags.

[22:7]  ¹⁶ tn The term עָיֵף (’ayef) can be translated “weary,” “faint,” “exhausted,” or “tired.” Here it may refer to the fainting because of thirst – that would make a good parallel to the second part.

[22:8]  ¹⁷ tn The idiom is “a man of arm” (= “powerful”; see Ps 10:15). This is in comparison to the next line, “man of face” (= “dignity; high rank”; see Isa 3:5).

[22:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and a man of arm, to whom [was] land.” The line is in contrast to the preceding one, and so the vav here introduces a concessive clause.

[22:8]  ¹⁹ tn The expression is unusual: “the one lifted up of face.” This is the “honored one,” the one to whom the dignity will be given.

[22:8]  ²⁰ tn Many commentators simply delete the verse or move it elsewhere. Most take it as a general reference to Job, perhaps in apposition to the preceding verse.

[22:9]  ²¹ tn The “arms of the orphans” are their helps or rights on which they depended for support.

[22:9]  ²² tn The verb in the text is Pual: יְדֻכָּא (yÿdukka’, “was [were] crushed”). GKC 388 §121.b would explain “arms” as the complement of a passive imperfect. But if that is too difficult, then a change to Piel imperfect, second person, will solve the difficulty. In its favor is the parallelism, the use of the second person all throughout the section, and the reading in all the versions. The versions may have simply assumed the easier reading, however.

[29:11]  ²³ tn The words “these things” and “them” in the next colon are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[29:11]  ²⁴ tn The main clause is introduced by the preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive (see GKC 327 §111.h); the clause before it is therefore temporal and circumstantial to the main clause.

[29:12]  ²⁵ tn The negative introduces a clause that serves as a negative attribute; literally the following clause says, “and had no helper” (see GKC 482 §152.u).

[29:13]  ²⁶ tn The verb is simply בּוֹא (bo’, “to come; to enter”). With the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) it could mean “came to me,” or “came upon me,” i.e., descended (see R. Gordis, Job, 320).

[29:13]  ²⁷ tn The verb אַרְנִן (’arnin) is from רָנַן (ranan, “to give a ringing cry”) but here “cause to give a ringing cry,” i.e., shout of joy. The rejoicing envisioned in this word is far greater than what the words “sing” or “rejoice” suggest.

[29:14]  ²⁸ tn Both verbs in this first half-verse are from לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe; to put on clothing”). P. Joüon changed the vowels to get a verb “it adorned me” instead of “it clothed me” (Bib 11 [1930]: 324). The figure of clothing is used for the character of the person: to wear righteousness is to be righteous.

[29:14]  ²⁹ tn The word מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) is simply “my justice” or “my judgment.” It refers to the decisions he made in settling issues, how he dealt with other people justly.

[29:16]  ³⁰ sn The word “father” does not have a wide range of meanings in the OT. But there are places that it is metaphorical, especially in a legal setting like this where the poor need aid.

[29:17]  ³¹ tn The word rendered “fangs” actually means “teeth,” i.e., the molars probably; it is used frequently of the teeth of wild beasts. Of course, the language is here figurative, comparing the oppressing enemy to a preying animal.

[29:17]  ³² tn “I made [him] drop.” The verb means “to throw; to cast,” throw in the sense of “to throw away.” But in the context with the figure of the beast with prey in its mouth, “drop” or “cast away” is the idea. Driver finds another cognate meaning “rescue” (see AJSL 52 [1935/36]: 163).

[31:13]  ³³ tn This construction is an adverbial clause using the temporal preposition, the infinitive from רִיב (riv, “contend”), and the suffix which is the subjective genitive.

[31:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “arises.” The LXX reads “takes vengeance,” an interpretation that is somewhat correct but unnecessary. The verb “to rise” would mean “to confront in judgment.”

[31:14]  ³⁵ tn The verb פָקַד (paqad) means “to visit,” but with God as the subject it means any divine intervention for blessing or cursing, anything God does that changes a person’s life. Here it is “visit to judge.”

[31:15]  ³⁶ tn Heb “him,” but the plural pronoun has been used in the translation to indicate that the referent is the servants mentioned in v. 13 (since the previous “him” in v. 14 refers to God).

[31:16]  ³⁷ tn Heb “kept the poor from [their] desire.”

[82:3]  ³⁸ tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).

[82:4]  ³⁹ tn Heb “hand.”

[22:22]  ⁴⁰ tn Two negated jussives form the instruction here: אַל־תִּגְזָל (’al-tigzal, “do not exploit”) and וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּא (ve’al-tÿdakke’, “do not crush”).

[22:22]  sn Robbing or oppressing the poor is easy because they are defenseless. But this makes the crime tempting as well as contemptible. What is envisioned may be in bounds legally (just) but out of bounds morally.

[22:22]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “in the gate” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “at the gate.” The “gate” of the city was the center of activity, the place of business as well as the place for settling legal disputes. The language of the next verse suggests a legal setting, so “court” is an appropriate translation here.

[22:23]  ⁴² tn The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the Lord will do this is not specified – either through righteous people or by direct intervention.

[22:23]  ⁴³ tn The verb קָבַע (qava’, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the Lord.

[5:28]  ⁴⁴ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.

[5:28]  ⁴⁵ tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.

[5:28]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”

[5:28]  sn There is a wordplay in the use of this word which has twice been applied in v. 22 to the sea not crossing the boundary set for it by God.

[5:29]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Should I not punish…? Should I not bring retribution…?” The rhetorical questions function as emphatic declarations.

[5:29]  sn These words are repeated from 5:9 to give a kind of refrain justifying again the necessity of punishment in the light of such sins.

[5:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Traditionally, “because you trample on the poor” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The traditional view derives the verb from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”; cf. Isa. 14:25), but more likely it is cognate to an Akkadian verb meaning “to exact an agricultural tax” (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49; S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 172-73).

[5:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “lovely”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “pleasant”; NAB “choice”; NIV “lush.”

[5:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Houses of chiseled stone you built, but you will not live in them. Fine vineyards you planted, but you will not drink their wine.”

[5:12]  ⁵¹ tn Or “for.”

[5:12]  ⁵² tn Or “I know” (so most English versions).

[5:12]  ⁵³ tn Or “transgressions,” “sins.” See the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3 and on the phrase “covenant violations” in 2:4.

[5:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Those who.”

[5:12]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “turn aside.” They “turn aside” the needy by denying them the justice they deserve at the city gate (where legal decisions were made, and therefore where justice should be done).

[5:12]  ⁵⁶ sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate, where the town elders met.

[2:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.

[2:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”

[2:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”

[2:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

[2:2]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”

[2:2]  ⁶² tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[2:3]  ⁶³ tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”

[2:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “you will not.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[3:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “the ones who.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “good.”

[3:2]  ⁷¹ tn Or “evil.”

[3:2]  ⁷² tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”

[3:2]  sn Micah compares the social injustice perpetrated by the house of Jacob/Israel to cannibalism, because it threatens the very lives of the oppressed.

[3:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “who.”

[3:3]  ⁷⁵ tc The MT reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kish’er, “like flesh”).

[3:4]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “then they will cry out to the Lord.” The words “Someday these sinners” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[7:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”

[7:3]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”

[7:3]  ⁷⁹ tn More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.

[7:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “[the] godly from a row of thorn bushes.” The preposition מִן (min) is comparative and the comparative element (perhaps “sharper” is the idea) is omitted. See BDB 582 s.v. 6 and GKC 431 §133.e.

[7:4]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “the day of your watchmen, your appointed [time], is coming.” The present translation takes “watchmen” to refer to actual sentries. However, the “watchmen” could refer figuratively to the prophets who had warned Judah of approaching judgment. In this case one could translate, “The day your prophets warned about – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way.”

[7:4]  ⁸² tn Heb “and now will be their confusion.”

[2:2]  ⁸³ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”

[2:2]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).

[2:3]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.

[2:3]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “sit here, please.”

[2:3]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:4]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “have you not made distinctions” (as the conclusion to the series of “if” clauses in vv. 2-3).

[2:4]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “judges of evil reasonings.”

[2:5]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.