'Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I [am] the LORD your God.

' You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob [him.] The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.

"You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

"You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he harshly oppressed the children of Israel.

"Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received [any] bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore [it] to you."

And they said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand."

Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for [he was] enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed [some] of the people at that time.

"Here we [are,] servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we [are,] servants in it!

And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we [are] in great distress.

For he has oppressed [and] forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build.

"Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires.

To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard.

He who oppresses the poor to increase his [riches,] [And] he who gives to the rich, [will] surely [come] to poverty.

A poor man who oppresses the poor [Is like] a driving rain which leaves no food.

One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

A ruler who lacks understanding [is] a great oppressor, [But] he who hates covetousness will prolong [his] days.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

[As for] My people, children [are] their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause [you] to err, And destroy the way of your paths."

The LORD will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: "For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor [is] in your houses.

For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts [is] the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry [for help.]

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

" [Is] this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?

"Yet your eyes and your heart [are] for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence."

"In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow.

"In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me," says the Lord GOD.

" Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst.

Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.

For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just [and] taking bribes; Diverting the poor [from justice] at the gate.

Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, And make the poor of the land fail,

That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of sandals -- Even sell the bad wheat?"

They covet fields and take [them] by violence, Also houses, and seize [them.] So they oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.

Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, against this family I am devising disaster, From which you cannot remove your necks; Nor shall you walk haughtily, For this [is] an evil time.

Are there yet the treasures of wickedness In the house of the wicked, And the short measure [that is] an abomination?

For her rich men are full of violence, Her inhabitants have spoken lies, And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

That they may successfully do evil with both hands -- The prince asks [for gifts,] The judge [seeks] a bribe, And the great [man] utters his evil desire; So they scheme together.

Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and [you do] these things [to your] brethren!

Come now, [you] rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon [you!]

Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.