'Justice' in the Bible

You shall not follow a crowd to do [something] evil, nor shall you testify at a trial or in a dispute so as to side with a crowd in order to pervert justice;

“You shall not pervert (bend) the justice due to your poor in his dispute.

No one who may have been set apart among men shall be ransomed [from death], he shall most certainly be put to death.

He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) by giving him food and clothing.

You shall certainly restore the pledge (security deposit) to him at sunset, so that he may sleep in his garment and bless you; and it will be credited to you as righteousness (right standing) before the Lord your God.

“You shall not pervert the justice due a stranger or an orphan, nor seize (impound) a widow’s garment as security [for a loan].

‘Cursed is he who distorts (perverts) the justice due to a stranger, an orphan, and a widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

“The Rock! His work is perfect,For all His ways are just;A God of faithfulness without iniquity (injustice),Just and upright is He.

His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

So David reigned over all Israel, and continued to administer justice and righteousness for all his people.

Moreover Absalom would say, “Oh, that I were appointed judge in the land! Then every man who had a dispute could come to me and I would get justice for him.”

When all [the people of] Israel heard about the judgment which the king had made, they [were in awe and reverently] feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to administer justice.

Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, He made you king to execute justice and righteousness.”

So David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people.

Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; because your God loved Israel, establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

“His children are far from safety [and included in their father’s ruin],They are oppressed and crushed in the [court of justice in the city’s] gate,And there is no one to rescue them.

“Does God pervert justice?Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

“If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty!And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,And they will not escape [the justice of God];And their hope is to breathe their last [and die].”

“Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not heard;I shout for help, but there is no justice.

“As God lives, who has taken away my right and denied me justice,And the Almighty, who has caused bitterness and grief for my soul,

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;My justice was like a robe and a turban!

“Those [who are] abundant in years may not [always] be wise,Nor may the elders [always] understand justice.

“Surely God will not act wickedly,Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

“But you [Job] were full of judgment on the wicked,Judgment and justice take hold of you.

“The Almighty—we cannot find Him;He is exalted in powerAnd He will not do violence to [nor disregard] justice and abundant righteousness.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!You have freed me when I was hemmed in and relieved me when I was in distress;Be gracious to me and hear [and respond to] my prayer.

Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;Lift up Yourself against the rage of my enemies;Rise up for me; You have commanded judgment and vindication.

The Lord judges the peoples;Judge me, O Lord, and grant me justice according to my righteousness and according to the integrity within me.

I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness and justice,And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

And He will judge the world in righteousness;He will execute judgment for the nations with fairness (equity).

To vindicate and obtain justice for the fatherless and the oppressed,So that man who is of the earth will no longer terrify them.

He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness,And speaks and holds truth in his heart.

As for me, I shall see Your face in righteousness;I will be [fully] satisfied when I awake [to find myself] seeing Your likeness.

For You will make them turn their backs [in defeat];You will aim Your bowstring [of divine justice] at their faces.

He loves righteousness and justice;The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Wake Yourself up, and arise to my rightAnd to my cause, my God and my Lord.

Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness and justice;And do not let them rejoice over me.

And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness (justice),And Your praise all the day long.

He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].

For the Lord delights in justiceAnd does not abandon His saints (faithful ones);They are preserved forever,But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off.

The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom,And his tongue speaks justice and truth.

As is Your name, O God,So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;Your right hand is full of righteousness (rightness, justice).

And the heavens declare His righteousness,For God Himself is judge. Selah.

Rescue me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;Then my tongue will sing joyfully of Your righteousness and Your justice.

Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness,In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

You love evil more than good,And falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods (heavenly beings)?Do you judge fairly, O sons of men?

By awesome and wondrous things You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,You who are the trust and hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

May he judge Your people with righteousness,And Your afflicted with justice.

Vindicate the weak and fatherless;Do justice and maintain the rights of the afflicted and destitute.

The rulers do not know nor do they understand;They walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction];All the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles of the administration of justice] are shaken.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

For judgment will again be righteous,And all the upright in heart will follow it.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;Indeed, the world is firmly and securely established, it shall not be moved;He will judge and rule the people with fairness.”

Before the Lord, for He is coming,For He is coming to judge the earth.He will judge the world with righteousnessAnd the peoples in His faithfulness.

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him [as at Sinai];Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

The strength of the King loves justice and righteous judgment;You have established fairness;You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob (Israel).

I will sing of [steadfast] lovingkindness and justice;To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

The Lord executes righteousnessAnd justice for all the oppressed.

He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses,His acts to the children of Israel.

Blessed are those who observe justice [by honoring God’s precepts],Who practice righteousness at all times.

The works of His hands are truth and [absolute] justice;All His precepts are sure (established, reliable, trustworthy).

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;He conducts his affairs with justice.

Ayin.I have done justice and righteousness;Do not leave me to those who oppress me.

I know [with confidence] that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,And [will secure] justice for the poor.

They will overflow [like a fountain] when they speak of Your great and abundant goodnessAnd will sing joyfully of Your righteousness.

Who executes justice for the oppressed,Who gives food to the hungry.The Lord sets free the prisoners.

To receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness,Righteousness, justice, and integrity;

He guards the paths of justice;And He preserves the way of His saints (believers).

Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance]And integrity and every good path.

“By me kings reignAnd rulers decide and decree justice.

“I, [Wisdom, continuously] walk in the way of righteousness,In the midst of the paths of justice,

Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless,But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

A wicked man receives a bribe from the [hidden] pocketTo pervert the ways of justice.

To show respect to the wicked person is not good,Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.

A wicked and worthless witness mocks justice,And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.

To do righteousness and justiceIs more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice [for wrongs repeatedly committed].

The violence of the wicked will [return to them and] drag them away [like fish caught in a net],Because they refuse to act with justice.

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, the one in right standing with God),But to the evildoers it is disaster.

Evil men do not understand justice,But they who long for and seek the Lord understand it fully.

The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice,But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,But justice for man comes from the Lord.

Otherwise they drink and forget the law and its decrees,And pervert the rights and justice of all the afflicted.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,And administer justice for the afflicted and needy.

Moreover, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight [of corruption]; for a higher official watches over another official, and there are higher ones over them [looking out for one another].

Learn to do good.Seek justice,Rebuke the ruthless,Defend the fatherless,Plead for the [rights of the] widow [in court].

How the faithful city has become a prostitute [idolatrous, despicable],She who was full of justice!Right standing with God once lodged in her,But now murderers.

Zion will be redeemed with justiceAnd her repentant ones with righteousness.

And I will make mere boys their princes,And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house (nation) of IsraelAnd the men of Judah are His delightful planting [which He loves].So He looked for justice, but in fact, [He saw] bloodshed and lawlessness;[He looked] for righteousness, but in fact, [He heard] a cry of distress and oppression.

But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in justice,And God, the Holy One, will show Himself holy in righteousness [through His righteous judgments].

There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace,[He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom,To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousnessFrom that time forward and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

So as to deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor of My people of rightful claims,So that widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the fatherless.

For though your people, O Israel, may be as the sand of the sea,Only a remnant within them will return;The destruction is determined [it is decided and destined for completion], overflowing with justice (righteous punishment).

But with righteousness and justice He will judge the poor,And decide with fairness for the downtrodden of the earth;And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

[Say to the ruler] “Give us advice, make a decision [for Moab, king of Judah];Cast your shadow [over us] like night in the midst of noon;Hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitive [to his pursuer].

A throne will be established in lovingkindness,And One will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent (dynasty, family) of David;Judging and seeking justiceAnd being prompt to do righteousness.