"You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23:1-9
These verses, in continuing the application, and explication, of the Ten Commandments, enunciate various provisions for the administration of justice. The emphasis throughout is on impartiality. They are applicable both to courts of justice and to personal relationships. Neither witness nor judge must allow himself to be influenced away from the truth so as to cause a miscarriage of justice. Witnesses are warned against inventing or circulating an untrue report - either by word, or by gesture, or by silence, for there are many ways of conveying a false impressions! (1), and those who judge are warned against being influenced by the voice of the multitude (2), or biased by sentimentality on behalf of the poor so as to be partial to his cause (3), or, on the other hand, be prejudiced against him or indifferent to his cause just because he is poor (6). There must not, as we sometimes say, be one law for the poor and another for the rich. Accusers are especially warned against making false charges (7) which, even though disproved, may blight the innocent party's name, soil his character, and shorten his days (Meyer). This is just as applicable in the law court as in private life, and the harm 'false matters' can do is as great in the one as in the other. The strict justice of these verses is beautifully infused with the idea of mercy in the enactments of 4 and 5. The same God Who demands that justice shall be done has no thought that justice is incompatible with compassion or love, or made the excuse for the lack of mercy. What wisdom and balance we find in the Word of God, and how reliable a guide to true and worthy behaviour!