Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Compromise » Before litigation, encouraged
Do not run quickly to court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame. Debate your cause with your neighbor direct; and do not reveal the secret of another. In case he hears it and puts you to shame. The bad report about you will not pass away.
Come to an agreement quickly with the one who has a legal case against you. Do it before he turns the case over to the judge and you are thrown into jail. Take it from me; you will stay in jail until you pay the very last penny of your fine.
For example when an opponent brings you to court, try to settle before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge and the judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison. I tell you that you will not get out until you pay every penny of your fine.
Courts of justice » Judges of » Called magistrates
For example when an opponent brings you to court, try to settle before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge and the judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison.
Creditor » Oppressions of
You have indeed exacted pledges from your family for no reason, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
They drive away the donkey of the orphan. They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
The widow of a member of a group of prophets said to Elisha: My husband has died! As you know, he was a man who respected God. A man to whom he owed money came to take away my two sons as slaves in payment for my husband's debt.
There are those who snatch the orphan child from the breast. They take as a pledge the infant of the poor.
Come to an agreement quickly with the one who has a legal case against you. Do it before he turns the case over to the judge and you are thrown into jail. Take it from me; you will stay in jail until you pay the very last penny of your fine.
For example when an opponent brings you to court, try to settle before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge and the judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison. I tell you that you will not get out until you pay every penny of your fine.
Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews. Some said: We with our sons and our daughters are a great number. Let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs. There were some who said: We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt. Let us get grain because we are in need. read more.
Yet others said: We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes. But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children. Now we give our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants. Some of our daughters are servants even now. We have no power to stop this. For other men have our fields and our vine-gardens. On hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry. After giving it much thought, I made a protest to the chiefs and the rulers, and said to them: Everyone of you is collecting interest from his brothers. I organized a big meeting of protest. I said to them: We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free. They were servants and prisoners of the nations. Would you now give up your brothers for a price? Are they to become our property? They said nothing. They answered not a word! I said: What you are doing is not good. Is it not necessary for you to walk out of respect for our God, because of the shame the nations put on us? Even I and my servants have been collecting interest (Usury) for the money and the grain we have let them have. So now, let us give this up. Give back to them this very day their fields, their vine-gardens, their olive-gardens, and their houses, as well as a hundredth part of the money and the grain and the wine and the oil that you have taken from them. They said: We will give them back, and take nothing for them. We will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement. Shaking out the folds of my robe, I said: So, may God send out from his house and his work every man who does not keep this agreement. Even so let him be sent out and made as nothing. All the people said: Amen! They praised Jehovah. The people did as they said.
Yet others said: We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes. But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children. Now we give our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants. Some of our daughters are servants even now. We have no power to stop this. For other men have our fields and our vine-gardens. On hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry. After giving it much thought, I made a protest to the chiefs and the rulers, and said to them: Everyone of you is collecting interest from his brothers. I organized a big meeting of protest. I said to them: We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free. They were servants and prisoners of the nations. Would you now give up your brothers for a price? Are they to become our property? They said nothing. They answered not a word! I said: What you are doing is not good. Is it not necessary for you to walk out of respect for our God, because of the shame the nations put on us? Even I and my servants have been collecting interest (Usury) for the money and the grain we have let them have. So now, let us give this up. Give back to them this very day their fields, their vine-gardens, their olive-gardens, and their houses, as well as a hundredth part of the money and the grain and the wine and the oil that you have taken from them. They said: We will give them back, and take nothing for them. We will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement. Shaking out the folds of my robe, I said: So, may God send out from his house and his work every man who does not keep this agreement. Even so let him be sent out and made as nothing. All the people said: Amen! They praised Jehovah. The people did as they said.
What he toiled for he must give back uneaten. He will not enjoy the profit from his trading. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor and left them destitute. He has violently seized houses he did not build. He will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.
Do not give pledges and be guarantors for debts. If you have nothing to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?
Then that servant met another servant who was in debt to him for one hundred denarii. He took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay your debt now.' That servant fell down before him, saying, 'Give me time and I will make payment to you.' He would not give him time. He put him into prison till he paid the debt. read more.
When the other servants saw what happened, they were very sad. They told their lord what had been done. His lord sent for him, and said: 'Evil servant; I made you free of all that debt, because of your request to me. Should you [also] show mercy to your fellow servant the same way I showed mercy to you?' His lord was angry and sent him to jail to be punished until he paid back all of his debt. My heavenly Father will treat you like that if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
When the other servants saw what happened, they were very sad. They told their lord what had been done. His lord sent for him, and said: 'Evil servant; I made you free of all that debt, because of your request to me. Should you [also] show mercy to your fellow servant the same way I showed mercy to you?' His lord was angry and sent him to jail to be punished until he paid back all of his debt. My heavenly Father will treat you like that if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Litigation » To be avoided
Come to an agreement quickly with the one who has a legal case against you. Do it before he turns the case over to the judge and you are thrown into jail.
If you have a dispute with another [Christian] do you dare to go to a law court before judges who are ungodly? Why not let the holy ones decide who is right? Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? And if you will judge the world, are you unworthy to judge these small matters? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the matters that pertain to this life? read more.
If you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, would you appoint as judges those who mean nothing to the congregation? I speak to shame you. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? Not one who would be able to judge between his brothers? But brother goes to court against brother, and this before unbelievers. It is already a defeat for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not let yourself be wronged? Why not let your selves be defrauded (cheated)? Instead you do wrong and defraud, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!
If you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, would you appoint as judges those who mean nothing to the congregation? I speak to shame you. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? Not one who would be able to judge between his brothers? But brother goes to court against brother, and this before unbelievers. It is already a defeat for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not let yourself be wronged? Why not let your selves be defrauded (cheated)? Instead you do wrong and defraud, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!
For example when an opponent brings you to court, try to settle before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge and the judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison.
Magistrate » An officer of civil law
When you are brought before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about what you will say to answer them.
The crowd rose up against them. The magistrates ripped their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods.
For example when an opponent brings you to court, try to settle before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge and the judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison.
And you, Ezra, by the wisdom of your God which is in you, are to put rulers and judges to have authority over all the people across the river who have knowledge of the laws of your God. You are to teach any who have no knowledge of them.
They took them to the magistrates and said: These men, being Jews, cause great trouble in our city.
So the five men left and traveled to the town of Laish. They saw how the people there lived in security like the Sidonians. They were a peaceful, quiet people, with no argument with anyone. They had all they needed. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had nothing to do with any other people.
The officers reported these words to the magistrates. They feared when they heard that they were Romans.