It is not right to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from receiving justice.

The wise have also said these things: It is wrong for judges to be prejudiced.

Do not follow the majority when they do wrong or when they give testimony that perverts justice.

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe makes people blind to what is right and ruins the cause of those who are innocent.

You dishonor me in front of my people in order to get a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who don't deserve to die, and you keep people alive who don't deserve to live. So you tell lies to my people, and they believe you."

After drinking much wine, they delight in their prostitution, preferring disgrace to honor.

My people are deceived by prophets who promise peace to those who pay them, but threaten war for those who don't. To these prophets the LORD says,

They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together.

For those who do such things are not serving Christ our Lord, but their own appetites. By their fine words and flattering speech they deceive innocent people.

In their greed these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake!