OLD TESTAMENT
You must not oppress the stranger; you know
how a stranger feels, for you lived as strangers in
the land of Egypt. (Ex 23:9)
If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not
molest him. You must count him as one of your
own countrymen and love him as yourself — for
you were once strangers yourselves in Egypt. I am
the Lord your God. (Lv 19:32-34)
Set aside part of your goods for almsgiving. Never
turn your face from any poor man and God will
never turn his from you. (Tb 4:7-8)
No more mockery of justice, no more favoring of
the wicked! Let the weak and the orphan have
justice, be fair to the wretched and destitute; rescue
the weak and needy, save them from the
clutches of the wicked! (Ps 82:2-4)
The Lord, who does what is right, is always on the
side of the oppressed. (Ps 103:6)
Speak, yourself, on behalf of the dumb, on behalf
of all the unwanted; speak, yourself, pronounce a
just verdict, uphold the rights of the poor, of the
needy. (Prv 31:8-9)
To the poor man lend an ear, and return his
greeting courteously. Save the oppressed from the
hand of the oppressor, and do not be mean-spirited
in your judgments. (Eccl 4:8-9)
Woe to the legislators of infamous laws, to those
who issue tyrannical decrees, who refuse justice
to the unfortunate and cheat the poor among my
people of their rights, who make widows their
prey, and rob the orphan. (Is 10:1-2)
The spirit of the Lord God has been given to me,
for God has anointed me. He has sent me to bring
good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are
broken; to proclaim liberty to the captives, freedom
to those in prison; to proclaim a year of
favor from the Lord. (Is 61:1-2)
The Lord says this: Practice honesty and integrity;
rescue the man who has been wronged from the
hands of his oppressor; do not exploit the
stranger, the orphan, the widow; do no violence,
shed no innocent blood in this place. (Jer 22:3-4)
What is good has been explained to you; this is
what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly,
to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your
God. (Mi 6:8)
Apply the law fairly, and practice kindness and
compassion toward each other. Do not oppress
the widow or the orphan, the alien or the poor,
and do not secretly plan evil against one another.
(Zec 7:8-11)
cont.
