Exode 23:1-9

1 Tu ne répandras point de faux bruit. Tu ne te joindras point au méchant pour faire un faux témoignage.
2 Tu ne suivras point la multitude pour faire le mal; et tu ne déposeras point dans un procès en te mettant du côté du grand nombre, pour violer la justice.
3 Tu ne favoriseras point le pauvre dans son procès.
4 Si tu rencontres le boeuf de ton ennemi ou son âne égaré, tu le lui ramèneras.
5 Si tu vois l'âne de ton ennemi succombant sous sa charge, et que tu hésites à le décharger, tu l'aideras à le décharger.
6 Tu ne porteras point atteinte au droit du pauvre dans son procès.
7 Tu ne prononceras point de sentence inique, et tu ne feras point mourir l'innocent et le juste; car je n'absoudrai point le coupable.
8 Tu ne recevras point de présent; car les présents aveuglent ceux qui ont les yeux ouverts et corrompent les paroles des justes.
9 Tu n'opprimeras point l'étranger; vous savez ce qu'éprouve l'étranger, car vous avez été étrangers dans le pays d'Egypte.

Exode 23:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter contains several laws, chiefly judicial, relating to the civil polity of Israel, as concerning witness borne and judgment made of cases in courts of judicature, without any respect to poor or rich, and without the influence of a bribe, Ex 23:1-3,6-8, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Ex 23:4,5, and of the oppression of a stranger, Ex 23:9, and then follow others concerning the sabbath of the seventh year, and of the seventh day, with a caution against the use of the names of idols, Ex 23:10-13, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Ex 23:14-17, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Ex 23:18,19 and then a promise is made of sending an angel to them to bring them into the land of Canaan, where they should carefully avoid all idolatry, and show a just indignation against it, and serve the Lord, and then it would be well with them, Ex 23:20-26, and particularly it is promised, that the Lord would send his fear, and his hornets, before them, to destroy the inhabitants of the land, and drive out the rest by little and little, until they should possess the utmost borders of it, which are fixed, Ex 23:27-31, and the chapter is concluded with a direction not to make a covenant with these people, or their gods, nor suffer them to dwell among them, lest they should be a snare unto them, Ex 23:32,33.

The Louis Segond 1910 is in the public domain.