Deuteronomy 16:19
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Study Note
Study Note
The three prohibitions for judges — do not pervert justice, show partiality, or accept bribes — constitute one of the Hebrew Bible's clearest formulations of judicial ethics. The rationale for the bribe prohibition is psychologically shrewd: 'a gift blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous' — corruption does not only affect the corrupt, it impairs even wisdom and integrity. The verse reflects the international wisdom tradition of the ancient Near East, where codes like Hammurabi also legislated against judicial corruption, showing that the Torah's ethical demands were both continuous with and more radical than their cultural context. Jesus' exposition of 'justice, mercy, and faithfulness' as the 'weightier matters of the law' (Matthew 23:23) builds on this Deuteronomic foundation.
Other Translations
Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Thou dost not turn aside judgment; thou dost not discern faces, nor take a bribe, for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
You are not to be moved in your judging by a man's position, you are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false.
Cross References
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding …
Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the …
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the …
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the …
But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and …
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.
If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate: