and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’

审判的时候，不可看人的外貌；听讼不可分贵贱，不可惧怕人，因为审判是属乎神的。若有难断的案件，可以呈到我这里，我就判断。’

审判的时候不可看人的情面；无论大小，你们都要听讼。不可因人而惧怕，因为审判是上帝的事。你们当中若有难断的案件，可以呈到我这里，让我来听讼。’

审判的时候不可看人的情面；无论大小，你们都要听讼。不可因人而惧怕，因为审判是神的事。你们当中若有难断的案件，可以呈到我这里，让我来听讼。’

不可偏私，不分贵贱，不惧情面，因为判决来自上帝。如果案件太难，可以交给我处理。

审判的时候，不可偏袒人；无论贵贱尊卑，都要一样地听讼；不可怕人的情面，因为审判是属于神的；如果你们遇见难断的案件，可以呈到我这里来，让我审断。’

審判的時候，不可看人的外貌；聽訟不可分貴賤，不可懼怕人，因為審判是屬乎神的。若有難斷的案件，可以呈到我這裏，我就判斷。』

審判的時候不可看人的情面；無論大小，你們都要聽訟。不可因人而懼怕，因為審判是上帝的事。你們當中若有難斷的案件，可以呈到我這裏，讓我來聽訟。』

審判的時候不可看人的情面；無論大小，你們都要聽訟。不可因人而懼怕，因為審判是神的事。你們當中若有難斷的案件，可以呈到我這裏，讓我來聽訟。』

不可偏私，不分貴賤，不懼情面，因為判決來自上帝。如果案件太難，可以交給我處理。

審判的時候，不可偏袒人；無論貴賤尊卑，都要一樣地聽訟；不可怕人的情面，因為審判是屬於神的；如果你們遇見難斷的案件，可以呈到我這裡來，讓我審斷。’

審判的時候、不可看人的外貌；聽訟無論是聽卑小的，還是聽尊大的、都要一樣；不可怕人的情面，因為審判是屬於上帝的；你們認為難辦的案件、可以呈到我這裏來，我就判斷。」

鞫時、毋行偏視、無論貴賤、必聽其詞、不可畏人、蓋鞫事屬上帝也、事遇難斷、則呈我聽之、

鞫事屬上帝、汝鞫人時、毋行偏視、無論尊卑、必聽其訟、不可畏人、如事關重大、則告於我、我為剖析、

審鞫之時、勿以貌取人、聽訟勿分尊卑、不可畏人、蓋審鞫之事屬天主、如爾有難斷之事、則呈於我、而我聽之、

Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

When you judge them, treat everyone the same. Listen to those who are important and those who are not. Don’t be afraid of anyone. God is the highest judge. Bring me any case that is too hard for you. I’ll listen to it.”

You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.

You are not to show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.

Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.

Ye shall not respect persons in judgment;[ but] ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment[ is] God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring[ it] unto me, and I will hear it.

They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing.

You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”

“ Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.

You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly.

Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.

and he said to them,“ Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case.

These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.

But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you.

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.

“ For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.

“ In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.“ Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.

Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court.For the Lord is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them.

They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him.“ Teacher,” they said,“ we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.

“ For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry.You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!You must have sent widows away empty handed and crushed the hopes of orphans.

“ Suppose a case arises in a local court that is too hard for you to decide— for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder or only of manslaughter, or a difficult lawsuit, or a case involving different kinds of assault. Take such legal cases to the place the Lord your God will choose,and present them to the Levitical priests or the judge on duty at that time. They will hear the case and declare the verdict.You must carry out the verdict they announce and the sentence they prescribe at the place the Lord chooses. You must do exactly what they say.

Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice.Even the best of them is like a brier; the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns. But your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.

Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?

And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as“ temporary residents.”

“ If I have been unfair to my male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me,how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me?For God created both me and my servants. He created us both in the womb.“ Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows?

“ Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.

“ All who heard me praised me. All who saw me spoke well of me.For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help.I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban.I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.I was a father to the poor and assisted strangers who needed help.I broke the jaws of godless oppressors and plucked their victims from their teeth.

Then Peter replied,“ I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.

But the Lord said to Samuel,“ Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

“ Teacher,” they said,“ we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us— is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

“ You’re going to wear yourself out— and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.

“ Teacher,” they said,“ we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully.

“ You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.

You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”“ No,” they replied,“ you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one,“ You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”— well,doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?

But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived.In her letters she commanded:“ Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor.And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters.They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people.Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying,“ He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death.The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel,“ Naboth has been stoned to death.”

They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor.Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord.“ Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?

What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance.But this is what the Lord says:“ I will reward your evil with evil; you won’t be able to pull your neck out of the noose. You will no longer walk around proudly, for it will be a terrible time.”

For God does not show favoritism.

Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong,but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones.Yes, you eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot.Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to answer? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!”

“ Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them.

All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.

“ True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment as security for her debt.

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.