| Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. | Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. |
| To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. | The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. |
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| But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. | Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. |
| Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict. | We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us. |
| Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. | Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. |
| He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. | He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. |
| He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. | He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. |
| Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. | Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. |
| A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. | Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. |
| Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. | Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. |
| For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. | For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. |
| And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. | So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. |
| Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. | Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. |
| Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. | God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. |
| Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. | Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes. |
| Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. | Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud. |
| He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. | He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! |
| Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. | The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. |
| He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? | No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. |
| Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. | Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. |
| Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. | Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. |
| Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. | Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. |
| Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. |
| Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. | This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. |
| For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. | But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever. |
