Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Afflictions » The afflicted
You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;
The Lord rewarded me according to my uprightness with Him; He compensated and benefited me according to the cleanness of my hands. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me; and from His statutes I did not turn aside. read more.
I was also blameless before Him and kept myself from guilt and iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His [holy] sight. Toward the loving and loyal You will show Yourself loving and loyal, and with the upright and blameless You will show Yourself upright and blameless. To the pure You will show Yourself pure, and to the willful You will show Yourself willful. And the afflicted people You will deliver, but Your eyes are upon the haughty, whom You will bring down.
I was also blameless before Him and kept myself from guilt and iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His [holy] sight. Toward the loving and loyal You will show Yourself loving and loyal, and with the upright and blameless You will show Yourself upright and blameless. To the pure You will show Yourself pure, and to the willful You will show Yourself willful. And the afflicted people You will deliver, but Your eyes are upon the haughty, whom You will bring down.
[God] sets before man no appointed time, that he should appear before [Him] in judgment. He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry [before a jury] and in ways past finding out and sets others in their stead. Therefore He takes knowledge of their works, and He overturns them in the night, so that they are crushed and destroyed. read more.
God strikes them down as wicked men in the open sight of beholders, Because they turned aside from Him and would not consider or show regard for any of His ways, So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, and He heard the cry of the afflicted.
God strikes them down as wicked men in the open sight of beholders, Because they turned aside from Him and would not consider or show regard for any of His ways, So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, and He heard the cry of the afflicted.
I know [with confidence] that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And [will secure] justice for the poor.
All the days of the afflicted are bad,
But a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of the circumstances].
Rob not the poor [being tempted by their helplessness], neither oppress the afflicted at the gate [where the city court is held], For the Lord will plead their cause and deprive of life those who deprive [the poor or afflicted].
Duty toward the Afflicted » To protect them
Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice and maintain the rights of the afflicted and destitute.
Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless],
Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held],
Otherwise they drink and forget the law and its decrees,
And pervert the rights and justice of all the afflicted.
Gates » Holding courts of justice
then his father and mother shall take hold of him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.
“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your cities (gates) which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city; and they shall take him into [the protection of] the city and give him a place [to stay], so that he may live among them.
then the young woman’s father and her mother shall get and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city at the gate [where court is held].
Then Boaz went up to the city gate [where business and legal matters were settled] and sat down, and then the close relative (redeemer) of whom Boaz had spoken came by. He said to him, “Come over here, friend, and sit down.” So he came and sat down.
These are the things which you should do: speak the truth with one another; judge with truth and pronounce the judgment that brings peace in [the courts at] your gates.
Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless],
Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held],
He would get up early and stand beside the road to the gate [of the city, where court was held]; and when any man who had a dispute came to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”
Gates » Of cities » Courts of justice held at
Rob not the poor [being tempted by their helplessness], neither oppress the afflicted at the gate [where the city court is held], For the Lord will plead their cause and deprive of life those who deprive [the poor or afflicted].
“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your cities (gates) which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
He would get up early and stand beside the road to the gate [of the city, where court was held]; and when any man who had a dispute came to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”
Injustice » Specially to be avoided towards » The poor
Rob not the poor [being tempted by their helplessness], neither oppress the afflicted at the gate [where the city court is held], For the Lord will plead their cause and deprive of life those who deprive [the poor or afflicted].
He who oppresses or exploits the poor to get more for himself
Or who gives to the rich [to gain influence and favor], will only come to poverty.
“You shall not pervert (bend) the justice due to your poor in his dispute.
Oppression » Not oppressing others
“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul [the feelings, thoughts, and concerns] of a stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt.
“You shall not take advantage of a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether [he is] one of your countrymen or one of the strangers (resident aliens, foreigners) who is in your land inside your cities.
You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; for I am the Lord your God.
Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless],
Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held],
Thus has the Lord of hosts spoken: Execute true judgment and show mercy and kindness and tender compassion, every man to his brother; And oppress not the widow or the fatherless, the temporary resident or the poor, and let none of you devise or imagine or think evil against his brother in your heart.
The poor » Rob not
Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless],
Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held],
Theft » Not stealing
He said to Jesus, “Which commandments?” And Jesus answered, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false testimony;
Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements]. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.
Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless],
Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held],
The thief [who has become a believer] must no longer steal, but instead he must work hard [making an honest living], producing that which is good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with those in need.
‘You shall not steal, nor deal deceptively, nor lie to one another.
“You shall not steal [secretly, openly, fraudulently, or through carelessness].
‘You shall not steal.