You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
- KJV Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
- NKJV ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
- NASB ‘You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not show partiality to the poor nor give preference to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- NLT “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
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
Judgment must be just, showing partiality neither to the poor nor the great.
Overview
This command demands impartial justice, refusing both favoritism toward the powerful and misplaced sentimentality toward the poor. Righteous judgment treats all people fairly under the same standard. It reflects the character of God, who judges without partiality, and calls his people to mirror that even-handed justice.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 1:17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
- Deut 27:19‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Prov 24:23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Exod 23:2–3You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
- Exod 23:6–8You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
- Lev 19:35You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume.
- Deut 16:19Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- 2 Chr 19:6–7Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.
- Ps 82:2“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
- Prov 18:5Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
- Jas 2:6–9But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
- Deut 25:13–16You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.
- Exod 18:21Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 19:15 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
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