Parallel Verses
Bible in Basic English
You are not to be moved in your judging by a man's position, you are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false.
New American Standard Bible
King James Version
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Holman Bible
Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
International Standard Version
You must not twist justice, show favoritism, or take bribes, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the speech of the righteous.
A Conservative Version
Thou shall not distort justice. Thou shall not respect persons, neither shall thou take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.
American Standard Version
Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Amplified
You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.
Darby Translation
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a bribe; for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Julia Smith Translation
Thou shalt not turn away Judgment; thou shalt not look upon and thou shalt not take a gift, for the gift will blind the eyes of the wise and will pervert the words of the just.
King James 2000
You shall not pervert judgment; you shall not show partiality, neither take a bribe: for a bribe does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Lexham Expanded Bible
You shall not subvert justice; you shall not {show partiality}; and you shall not take a bribe, for the bribe makes blind [the] eyes of [the] wise and misrepresents [the] words of [the] righteous.
Modern King James verseion
You shall not pervert judgment; you shall not respect persons, nor take a gift. For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.
Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale
Wrest not the law, nor know any person, neither take any reward: for gifts blind the wise and pervert the words of the righteous.
NET Bible
You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.
New Heart English Bible
You shall not wrest justice: you shall not respect persons; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
The Emphasized Bible
Thou shalt not wrest judgment, thou shalt not take note of faces, - nor shalt thou accept a bribe, for the bribe, blindeth the eyes of wise men, and perverteth the words of righteous men.
Webster
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
World English Bible
You shall not wrest justice: you shall not respect persons; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Youngs Literal Translation
Thou dost not turn aside judgment; thou dost not discern faces, nor take a bribe, for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Themes
Blindness » What blinds people
Bribery » What gifts (bribes) do
Bribery » Not taking gifts (bribes)
Courts » Miscellaneous topics relating to courts and judicial procedure » Laws for judges
Courts of justice » Judges of » Not to take bribes
Earthly » Reward » Earthly, a source of temptation
Topics
Interlinear
Natah
Mishpat
Nakar
Paniym
Laqach
References
Word Count of 20 Translations in Deuteronomy 16:19
Verse Info
Context Readings
Appointing Judges And Officials
18 You are to make judges and overseers in all your towns which the Lord your God gives you, for every tribe: and they are to be upright men, judging the people in righteousness. 19 You are not to be moved in your judging by a man's position, you are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false. 20 Let righteousness be your guide, so that you may have life, and take for your heritage the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Phrases
Cross References
Exodus 23:2
Do not be moved to do wrong by the general opinion, or give the support of your words to a wrong decision:
Leviticus 19:15
Do no wrong in your judging: do not give thought to the position of the poor, or honour to the position of the great; but be a judge to your neighbour in righteousness.
Ecclesiastes 7:7
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
Exodus 23:6-8
Let no wrong decisions be given in the poor man's cause.
Deuteronomy 10:17
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, strong in power and greatly to be feared, who has no respect for any man's position and takes no rewards:
Deuteronomy 24:17
Be upright in judging the cause of the man from a strange country and of him who has no father; do not take a widow's clothing on account of a debt:
Deuteronomy 27:19
Cursed is he who gives a wrong decision in the cause of a man from a strange land, or of one without a father, or of a widow. And let all the people say, So be it.
Proverbs 17:23
A sinner takes an offering out of his robe, to get a decision for himself in a cause.
Proverbs 24:23
These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good.
Deuteronomy 1:16-17
And at that time I gave orders to your judges, saying, Let all questions between your brothers come before you for hearing, and give decisions uprightly between a man and his brother or one from another nation who is with him.
1 Samuel 8:3
And his sons did not go in his ways, but moved by the love of money took rewards, and were not upright in judging.
1 Samuel 12:3
Here I am: give witness against me before the Lord and before the man on whom he has put the holy oil: whose ox or ass have I taken? to whom have I been untrue? who has been crushed down by me? from whose hand have I taken a price for the blinding of my eyes? I will give it all back to you.
Job 31:21-22
If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;
Proverbs 24:28
Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.
Isaiah 1:17
Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.
Isaiah 1:23
Your chiefs have gone against the Lord, they have become friends of thieves; every one of them is looking for profit and going after rewards; they do not give right decisions for the child who has no father, and they do not let the cause of the widow come before them.
Isaiah 33:15
He whose ways are true, and whose words are upright; he who gives no thought to the profits of false acts, whose hands have not taken rewards, who will have no part in putting men to death, and whose eyes are shut against evil;
Jeremiah 5:28
They have become fat and strong: they have gone far in works of evil: they give no support to the cause of the child without a father, so that they may do well; they do not see that the poor man gets his rights.
Ezekiel 22:12
In you they have taken rewards as the price of blood; you have taken interest and great profits, and you have taken away your neighbours' goods by force, and have not kept me in mind, says the Lord.
Micah 7:3
Their hands are made ready to do evil; the ruler makes requests for money, and the judge is looking for a reward; and the great man gives decisions at his pleasure, and the right is twisted.
Habakkuk 1:4
For this reason the law is feeble and decisions are not effected: for the upright man is circled round by evil-doers; because of which right is twisted.
Zephaniah 3:3-5
Her rulers are like loud-voiced lions in her; her judges are wolves of the evening, crushing up the bones before the morning.
Acts 10:34
Then Peter said, Truly, I see clearly that God is no respecter of persons:
Acts 16:37
But Paul said to them, They have given us who are Romans a public whipping without judging us, and have put us in prison. Will they now send us out secretly? no, truly, let them come themselves and take us out.
Acts 23:3
Then Paul said to him, God will give blows to you, you whitewashed wall: are you here to be my judge by law, and by your orders am I given blows against the law?