Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.^(A) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.^(B)

² “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice^(C) by siding with the crowd,^{(D) 3} and do not show favoritism^(E) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

⁶ “Do not deny justice^(A) to your poor people in their lawsuits. ⁷ Have nothing to do with a false charge^(B) and do not put an innocent^(C) or honest person to death,^(D) for I will not acquit the guilty.^(E)

⁸ “Do not accept a bribe,^(F) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

¹³ “‘Do not defraud or rob^(A) your neighbor.^(B)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker^(C) overnight.^(D)

¹⁴ “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,^(E) but fear your God.^(F) I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “‘Do not pervert justice;^(G) do not show partiality^(H) to the poor or favoritism to the great,^(I) but judge your neighbor fairly.^(J)

Judges

¹⁸ Appoint judges^(A) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.^{(B) 19} Do not pervert justice^(C) or show partiality.^(D) Do not accept a bribe,^(E) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. ²⁰ Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

25 When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges^(A) will decide the case,^(B) acquitting^(C) the innocent and condemning the guilty.^{(D) 2} If the guilty person deserves to be beaten,^(E) the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, ³ but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes.^(F) If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.^(G)

⁴ Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.^(H)