Exodus 23:1-9

Other Translations of Exodus 23:1-9

King James Version

23¹ Thou shalt not raise raise: or, receive a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. ² Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak speak: Heb. answer in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: ³ Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. ⁴ If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. ⁵ If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. ⁶ Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. ⁷ Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. ⁸ And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, the wise: Heb. the seeing and perverteth the words of the righteous. ⁹ Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart heart: Heb. soul of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

English Standard Version

23¹ "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. ² You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, ³ nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. ⁴ "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him ⁵ If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. ⁶ "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. ⁷ Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. ⁸ And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. ⁹ "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

The Message

23¹ "Don't pass on malicious gossip. ² Don't go along with the crowd in doing evil and don't fudge your testimony in a case just to please the crowd. ³ And just because someone is poor, don't show favoritism in a dispute. ⁴ "If you find your enemy's ox or donkey loose, take it back to him ⁵ If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, don't walk off and leave it. Help it up. ⁶ "When there is a dispute concerning your poor, don't tamper with the justice due them. ⁷ "Stay clear of false accusations. Don't contribute to the death of innocent and good people. I don't let the wicked off the hook. ⁸ "Don't take bribes. Bribes blind perfectly good eyes and twist the speech of good people. ⁹ "Don't take advantage of a stranger. You know what it's like to be a stranger; you were strangers in Egypt.

New King James Version

23¹ "You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. ² You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. ³ You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. ⁴ "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again ⁵ If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. ⁶ "You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. ⁷ Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked. ⁸ And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous. ⁹ Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

New Living Translation

23¹ "You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. ² "You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. ³ And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor. ⁴ "If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. ⁵ If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help. ⁶ "In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor. ⁷ "Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent. ⁸ "Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth. ⁹ "You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it's like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.