Tremble with fear and stop sinning; think deeply about this, when you lie in silence on your beds.

When you said, "Come worship me," I answered, "I will come, LORD."

"Be honest and just when you make decisions in legal cases; do not show favoritism to the poor or fear the rich.

and instructed them: "Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the LORD, and he is with you when you pass sentence.

Honor the LORD and act carefully, because the LORD our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes."

God presides in the heavenly council; in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision:

Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; be fair to the needy and the helpless.

Better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don't care for him at all.

No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so.

But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him in public, because he was clearly wrong.

Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid.

Teach these things and use your full authority as you encourage and rebuke your hearers. Let none of them look down on you.

"If you lend money to any of my people who are poor, do not act like a moneylender and require him to pay interest.

Do not charge Israelites any interest, but obey God and let them live near you.

This is how it is to be done. Each of you who has lent money to any Israelite is to cancel the debt; you must not try to collect the money; the LORD himself has declared the debt canceled.

You may collect what a foreigner owes you, but you must not collect what any of your own people owe you.

"When you lend money or food or anything else to Israelites, do not charge them interest.

You may charge interest on what you lend to foreigners, but not on what you lend to Israelites. Obey this rule, and the LORD your God will bless everything you do in the land that you are going to occupy.

"When you lend someone something, do not go into his house to get the garment he is going to give you as security;

If he is poor, do not keep it overnight;

LORD, who may enter your Temple? Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?

They make loans without charging interest and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent. Whoever does these things will always be secure.

Some of your people murder for pay. Some charge interest on the loans they make to other Israelites and get rich by taking advantage of them. They have forgotten me." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.

The Sovereign LORD said, "You have sinned too long, you rulers of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression. Do what is right and just. You must never again drive my people off their land. I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you this.

A man named Oded, a prophet of the LORD, lived in the city of Samaria. He met the returning Israelite army with its Judean prisoners as it was about to enter the city, and he said, "The LORD God of your ancestors was angry with Judah and let you defeat them, but now he has heard of the vicious way you slaughtered them.

Listen to me! These prisoners are your brothers and sisters. Let them go, or the LORD will punish you in his anger."

They said, "Don't bring those prisoners here! We have already sinned against the LORD and made him angry enough to punish us. Now you want to do something that will increase our guilt."

And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.