Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Parallel translations
- WEB ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, fatherless, and widow.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
- BSB ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- NKJV ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
- NASB ‘Cursed is one who distorts the justice due a stranger, an orphan, or a widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
- NLT ‘Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A curse falls on those who deny justice to the foreigner, fatherless, and widow.
Overview
God repeatedly defends the most defenseless members of society. Perverting their justice provokes his judgment because he is their protector. This concern for the marginalized runs through Scripture and culminates in Christ's care for the poor and outcast.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Deut 10:18He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
- Deut 24:17Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge:
- Ps 82:2–4How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
- Prov 17:23A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
- Exod 22:21–24Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
- Exod 23:2Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
- Mal 3:5And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Mic 3:9Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
- Prov 31:5Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
- Exod 23:8–9And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 27:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.