Then God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. read more. You are to have no other gods as a substitute for me. "You are not to craft for yourselves an idol or anything resembling what is in the skies above, or on earth beneath, or in the water sources under the earth. You are not to bow down to them in worship or serve them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of parents on children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing gracious love to the thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. "You are not to misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who misuses his name. "Remember the Sabbath day, maintaining its holiness. Six days you are to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You are not to do any work neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your livestock, nor any foreigner who lives among you because the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days. Then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. "You are not to commit murder. "You are not to commit adultery. "You are not to steal. "You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor. "You are not to desire your neighbor's house, nor your neighbor's wife, his male or female servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything else that pertains to your neighbor."

You are not to make gods of silver alongside me, nor are you to make for yourselves gods of gold.

"If you loan money to my people, to the poor among you, don't be like a creditor to them and don't impose interest on them.

"You are not to pervert justice for the poor among you in their lawsuits.

They are not to live in your land. Otherwise they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a snare for you."

"If he can't afford a goat, then he is to bring to the LORD for his sin offering two turtledoves or two young doves: one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

"If he can't afford two turtledoves or two young doves, then he is to bring as his offering a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering for what he has committed. He is to put no olive oil or frankincense on it, since it's a sin offering.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to completely finish harvesting the corners of the field that is, you are not to pick what remains after you have reaped your harvest. You are not to gather your vineyard or pick up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Leave something for the poor and the resident alien who lives among you. I am the LORD your God." read more. "You are not to steal or lie or deal falsely with your neighbor. "You are not to use my name to deceive, thereby defiling the name of your God. I am the LORD. "You are not to oppress your neighbor or rob him. "The wages of a hired laborer are not to remain in your possession until morning. "You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the LORD. "You are not to be unjust in deciding a case. You are not to show partiality to the poor or honor the great. Instead, decide the case of your neighbor with righteousness."

For the LORD your God is the God of all gods, the LORD of all lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who does not show favoritism or take bribes. He executes justice for the orphan and the widows, loves the foreigner, and gives them food and clothing." read more. "You are to love the foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

"Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your city for there is no territorial allotment for him as you have.

the ostrich, night hawk, seagull, any kind of falcon,

Every third year, bring all the tithes of your produce of that year and store it in your cities

Every third year, bring all the tithes of your produce of that year and store it in your cities so the descendants of Levi who have no tribal allotment as you do foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come, eat, and be satisfied. That way, the LORD your God shall bless you in everything you do."

Since poor people won't cease to exist in the land, therefore I'm commanding you: Be sure to be generous to your poor and needy relatives in your land." "When a fellow Hebrew male or female slave is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you are to set them free. read more. But when you set them free, don't send them away empty-handed. Provide for them liberally from your flock, threshing floor, and wine vat. As the LORD your God has blessed you, so give to them. Don't ever forget that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, yet the LORD your God redeemed you. Therefore, I'm giving you these commands today.

The judges will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative,

"Don't charge interest to your relatives, whether for money, food, or for anything that has been loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but don't charge interest to your relatives, so the LORD your God may bless you in everything you undertake in the land that you are about to enter and possess.

"When you loan something to your neighbor, don't enter his house to seize what he offered as collateral. Stay outside and let the man to whom you made the loan bring it out to you. read more. If he is a poor man, don't go to sleep with his collateral in your possession. Be sure to return his garment to him at sunset so that he may sleep with it, and he will bless you. It will be a righteous deed in the presence of the LORD your God. Don't take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he's your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city. Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt."

Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt." "Fathers must not be put to death on account of their children's sin; nor shall children die on account of their fathers' sin. Each person is to be put to death for his own sin. read more. "Don't deny justice to a foreigner or to an orphan, nor take a widow's garment as collateral for a loan. Remember to observe this because you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I am commanding you to do this. "When you are reaping in the field, and you overlook a sheaf, don't return to get it. Let it remain for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless everything you undertake. When you harvest the olives from your trees, don't go back to the branches a second time. What remains is for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, don't go back a second time. What remains are for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.

When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, don't go back a second time. What remains are for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.

"When you have finished your harvest, reserve the tithe in the third year (the year of the tithe), and give the entire tithe to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows, so they may eat and be satisfied in your cities. Then declare in the presence of the LORD your God: read more. "I've removed the holy offering from my house and given it to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows just as you have commanded me. I haven't violated or forgotten your commands. I haven't eaten any part of it while mourning, nor removed any part of it while unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I've obeyed the voice of the LORD my God and did all that he commanded me. Look down from your holy habitation in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land that you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors a land flowing with milk and honey.'"

Nathan approached David and said, "There are two men in the city. One is rich and one is poor. The rich man has many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except for one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It used to share his food and drink from his own cup. It even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. read more. A traveler arrived to visit the rich man. Because he was unwilling to take an animal from one of his own flocks or herds to prepare for the guest who had come to visit him, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to visit him." David flew into a rage at the man and told Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He will restore the lamb four times its value, because he did this thing, and because he did it without compassion."

Meanwhile, Elisha urged the woman whose son he had restored to life, "You must get up and leave with your household to go live wherever you can, because the LORD has called for a famine, and it's going to come over the land for seven years." So the woman followed the instructions given to her by the man of God, and she went to the territory of the Philistines to live for seven years with her household. read more. At the end of the seven years, the woman returned from the territory of the Philistines and went to the king in order to file an appeal regarding her house and her grain field. The king was talking with Gehazi, the attendant of the man of God. He had asked Gehazi, "Please tell me about all of the great things that Elisha has done." Just as he was telling the king about Elisha's having restored the dead to life, the woman whose son had been restored arrived and appealed to the king for her house and her land! Gehazi told the king, "Your majesty, this is the woman! And here's her son, whom Elisha restored to life!" The king consulted with the woman, who related the story. So the king appointed a court official to represent her and ordered him: "Restore to her everything that belonged to her, including all of the produce that her fields yielded from the day she left the land until now." Later on, Elisha traveled to Damascus. King Ben-hadad of Aram was ill, but someone informed him, "The man of God has come here!"

Now the people along with their spouses complained loudly against their fellow Jews, because certain of them kept claiming, "Since we have so many sons and daughters, we must get some grain so we can eat and survive." read more. Others were saying, "We're having to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our homes so we can buy grain during this famine."

Others were saying, "We're having to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our homes so we can buy grain during this famine." Still others were saying "We've borrowed money against our fields and vineyards to pay the king's taxes. read more. Now our bodies are no different than the bodies of our relatives, and our children are like their children. Nevertheless, we're about to force our sons and daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters are already in bondage. It's beyond our power to do anything about it, because our fields and vineyards belong to others." I became very livid when I heard their complaining and these charges.

When I turn my attention to you, I'll refine your dross as in a furnace. I'll remove all your alloy.

"How terrible it will be for you who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you have settled yourselves alone in the middle of the land!"

"How terrible for him who builds his house without righteousness, and its upper rooms without justice, who makes his neighbor work for nothing, and does not pay him his wage.

"Listen to this message, you fat cows from Bashan, who live on the Samaritan mountains, who oppress the poor, who rob the needy, and who constantly ask your husbands for one more drink!"

"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, to those who rest on the mountain of Samaria the famous men of the nations to whom the house of Israel came!

"Woe to those who are crafting iniquity, planning evil well into the night! When morning's light comes, they carry out their plans because they have the power to do so.

For who has despised the time of insignificant things? They will rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven lights represent the eyes of the LORD, which are looking throughout all of the earth."

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people.

because the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have been eager to share their resources with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do.