35 Bible Verses about Lawsuits

Thou shalt not hinder the right of the poor that are among you in their suit.

neither shalt thou paint a poor man's cause.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. Thou shalt not favour the poor nor honour the mighty, but shalt judge thy neighbour righteously.

See that ye know no man in judgment: but hear the small as well as the great and be afraid of no man, for the judgment is God's. And the cause that is too hard for you, bring unto me and I will hear it.'

See that thou rob not the poor because he is weak, and oppress not the simple in judgment; for the LORD himself will defend their cause, and do violence unto them that have used violence.

Thou shalt not accept a vain tale, neither shalt put thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil: neither answer in a matter of plea that thou wouldest, to follow many, turn aside from the truth;

"Thou shalt bear no false witness against thy neighbor.

'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

One witness shall not rise against a man in any manner trespass or sin, whatsoever sin a man sinneth: But at the mouth of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall all matters be tried. If an unrighteous witness rise up against a man to accuse him of trespass: then let both the men which strive together stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges which shall be in those days,read more.
and let the judges enquire a good. And if the witness be found false and that he hath given false witness against his brother, then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to do unto his brother, and so thou shalt put evil away from thee. And other shall hear and fear and shall henceforth commit no more any such wickedness among you. And let thine eye have no compassion, but life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Now the things that ye shall do, are these: Speak every man the truth unto his neighbour, execute judgment truly, and peaceably within your ports,

If a matter be too hard for thee in judgment between blood and blood, plea and plea, stroke and stroke in matters of strife within thy cities: Then arise and get thee up unto the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen, and go unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and ask, and they shall show thee how to judge. And see that thou do according to that which they of that place which the LORD hath chosen show thee, and see that thou observe to do according to all that they inform thee.read more.
According to the law which they teach thee and manner of judgment which they tell thee, see that thou do and that thou bow not from that which they show thee, neither to the righthand nor to the left. And that man that will do presumptuously, so that he will not hearken unto the priest that standeth there to minister unto the LORD thy God or unto the judge, shall die: and so thou shalt put away evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear and shall fear, and shall do no more presumptuously.

And then I took the heads of your tribes, men of wisdom and that were expert, and made them rulers over you: captains over thousands and over hundreds, over fifty and over ten, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges the same time, saying, 'Hear your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him. See that ye know no man in judgment: but hear the small as well as the great and be afraid of no man, for the judgment is God's. And the cause that is too hard for you, bring unto me and I will hear it.'read more.
And I commanded you the same season, all the things which ye should do.

When there is strife between men, let them come unto the law, and let the judges justify the righteous and condemn the trespasser.

For when they have a matter, they come unto me, and I must judge between every man and his neighbor, and must show them the ordinances of God and his laws."

"When men strive and smite a woman with child so that her fruit depart from her and yet no misfortune followeth: then shall he be amerced, according as the woman's husband will lay to his charge, and he shall pay as the daysmen appoint him.

For he that I must give answer unto, and with whom I go to law, is not a man as I am. Neither is there any daysman to lay his hand between us. Let him take his rod away from me; yea, let him make me no more afraid of him,read more.
and then shall I answer him without any fear. For as long as I am in such fearfulness, I can make no answer: And why?

Better it is that it be said unto thee, "Come up hither," than thou to be set down in the presence of the prince whom thou seest with thine eyes. Be not hasty to go to the law, lest thou knowest not what to do when thy neighbor hath confounded thee. Handle thy matter with thy neighbour himself, and discover not another man's secret:read more.
lest when men hear thereof, it turn to thy dishonour, and lest thine evil name do not cease.

If a wise man go to law with a fool - whether he deal with him friendly or roughly - he getteth no rest.

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest that adversary deliver ye to the judge, and the judge deliver ye to the minister, and then thou be cast into prison. I say unto ye verily, Thou shalt not come out thence, till thou have paid the utmost farthing.

Hearken, my dear beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, which are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Are not the rich they which oppress you: and they which draw you before judges? Do not they speak evil of that good name after which ye be named?

How dare one of you having business with another, go to law under the wicked? And not rather under the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? If the world shall be judged by you: are ye not good enough to judge small trifles? Know ye not how that we shall judge the angels? How much more may we judge things that pertain to the life?read more.
If ye have judgments of worldly matters, take them which are despised in the congregation, and make them judges. This I say to your shame. Is there utterly no wise man among you? What, not one at all? That can judge between brother and brother? But one brother goeth to law with another: and that under the unbelievers? Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why rather suffer ye not wrong? Why rather suffer ye not yourselves to be robbed? Nay, ye yourselves do wrong, and rob: and that the brethren.

Hate the evil, and love the good. Set up right again in the port and, no doubt, the LORD God of hosts shall be merciful unto the remnant of Joseph.

Then shall the furious people cease, and the mockers shall be put away, and all they that do wrong shall be plucked out, such as labour to draw men unto sin; and that deceive him which reproveth them in the gate; and such as turn good persons to vanity.

They tread upon poor men's heads, in the dust of the earth, and crook the ways of the meek. The son and the father go to the harlot, to dishonour my holy name,

Ye turn the law to wormwood, and cast down righteousness into the ground. Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into morning and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: the LORD is his name. He raiseth destruction upon the mighty people, and bringeth down the stronghold.read more.
But they owe him evil will, that reproveth them openly: and whoso telleth them the plain truth, they abhor him. Forsomuch then as ye oppress the poor, and rob him of his best sustenance: therefore, where as ye have builded houses of square stone, ye shall not dwell in them. Marvelous pleasant vineyards shall ye plant; but the wine of them shall ye not drink. And why? As for the multitude of your wickednesses and your stout sins, I know them right well. Enemies are ye of the righteous; ye take rewards; ye oppress the poor in judgment.

They commune together, and swear vain oaths: they be confederate together, therefore groweth their punishment, as the weeds in the furrows of the land.

After this Absalom gat him chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him. And thereto he used to rise up early in the mornings and to stand by the wayside that led to the gate of the city. And all the men of Israel that had complaints and came to the king for judgment, he called unto him, and said, "Of what city art thou?" And when the other answered, "thy servant is of such a tribe of Israel," then said Absalom unto him, "See, thy matter is good and righteous, and yet no man is deputed of the king to hear thee."read more.
Then Absalom said moreover, "Oh, that I were a judge in the land, and that all men which have pleas and matter in the law, should come to me. For I would do them justice."

When Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was turned again to Absalom, he sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, "Feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel. And anoint not thyself with oil. But be as a woman that had long time mourned for the death of somebody. And go to the king and speak of thus manner unto him." And so Joab taught her what she should say.read more.
And when the wife of Tekoa was come to speak with the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and said, "Help me, O king." And the king said unto her, "What aileth thee?" And she answered, "I am a widow, and mine husband is dead. And thy handmaid had two sons which fought together in the fields where was no man to go between them, and the one slew the other. And behold, the whole kindred arose against thy handmaid and said, 'Deliver us him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the soul of his brother whom he slew: for he will destroy the heir also.' And so they shall quench my sparkle which is left that he shall stir up neither name or issue upon the earth unto my husband." And the king said unto the wife, "Go home to thine house, and I will give a charge for thee." And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, "My lord king, the trespass be on me and on my father's house, and the king and his seat be guiltless." And then said the king, "If any man say ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall no more trouble thee." Then said she, "Let the king remember his LORD God, that the next of the blood gather not on heaps together to destroy, and that they slay not my son." And he said, "As sure as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son's head fall to the earth." Then the woman said, "Let thine handmaid speak one word more unto my lord the king." And he said, "Say on." And the woman said, "Wherefore then hast thou determined on this same manner against the people of God? - That the king should speak this thing and be faulty therein, so that the king should not fetch home again his banished. For we must needs die, and perish as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again: and God will not take away the life, but find the means that the banished be not utterly expelled from him. And now, concerning that, I am come to speak of this thing unto the king my lord in the presence of the people. Thy handmaid thought, 'Surely I will speak unto the king; peradventure the king will hear the request of his handmaid. And the king shall hear his handmaid and deliver her out of the hand of the man that would have destroyed me and my son also out of the inheritance of God.' Then thine handmaid said, 'I pray God that the word of my lord the king may be immutable. For my lord the king is as an angel of God, in hearing of good or bad.' And therefore the LORD thy God be with thee." Then the king answered and said unto the woman, "Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king say on." Then said the king, "Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this matter?" And the woman answered, and said, "As sure as thy soul liveth, my lord king, it is neither on the righthand nor on the left that my lord the king hath spoken. For thy servant Joab he bade me, and he put all these words even in the mouth of thine handmaid. And the turning of my tale another way, that made thy servant Joab. And so I see that my lord is wise, even as an angel of God, to understand all things that are in the earth."

Then came there two women that were harlots unto the king and stood before him. And the one of them said, "Oh my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. And I was delivered of a child with her in the said house. And the third day after that I was delivered, she was delivered also: we two being together and no stranger with us in the house save we two alone.read more.
And this woman's child died in a night, for she had overlaid it. And then she arose at midnight and took my son from my side, while thine handmaid slept and laid it in her bosom, and put her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose up in the morning to give my child suck: see, it was dead. But when I had looked more diligently upon it in the morning: Behold, it was not my son which I did bear." And the other woman said, "It is not so: But the living is my son, and the dead thine." And she said again, "Thou sayest untrue, for the dead is thy son, and the living mine." And thus they pleaded before the king. Then said the king, "The one sayeth, 'This that is alive is my son, and the dead is thine.' And the other sayeth, 'Nay: But thy son is the dead and the live child is mine.'" Then said the king, "Bring me a sword." And they brought a sword before the king. And then the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give the one half to the one, and the other to the other." Then spake the woman whose son lived, unto the king - for her motherly heart was kindled with pity over her son - and said, "I beseech thee, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it." And the other said, "It shall be neither mine nor thine, but divide it." Then the king answered and said, "Give her the living child and slay it not, for she is the mother thereof."

And as the king of Israel walked upon the walls, there cried a woman to him, saying, "Help, my lord king." And he said, "Nay, the LORD help thee. But wherewith should I help thee, with corn or wine?" Then said the king to her, "What aileth thee?" And she answered, "This woman here said to me, 'Bring thy son and let us eat him today, and we will eat mine tomorrow.'read more.
And so we dressed my son and did eat him. And I said to her another day, 'Bring thy son that we may eat him.' But she hath hid her son."

When Gallio was ruler of the country of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, "This fellow counceleth men to worship God contrary to the law." And as Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrong, or an evil deed to ye, reason would that I should hear you:read more.
but if it be a question of words, or of names, or of your law, look ye to it yourselves. For I will be no judge in such matters." And he drave them from the seat.

When the town clerk had ceased the people he said, "Ye men of Ephesus: what man is it that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which came from heaven? Seeing then that no man saith here against, ye ought to be content, and to do nothing rashly; For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet despisers of your goddess.read more.
Wherefore if Demetrius and the craftsmen which are with him, have any saying to any man: the law is open, and there are rulers. Let them accuse one another. If ye go about any other thing, it may be determined in a lawful congregation. For we are in jeopardy to be accused of this day's business: forasmuch as there is no cause whereby we may give a reckoning of this concourse of people." And when he had thus spoken, he let the congregation depart.

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest that adversary deliver ye to the judge, and the judge deliver ye to the minister, and then thou be cast into prison.

Be not hasty to go to the law, lest thou knowest not what to do when thy neighbor hath confounded thee.

How dare one of you having business with another, go to law under the wicked? And not rather under the saints?