Exode 23:1-7

1 Tu ne sèmeras point de faux bruit; ne prête point la main au méchant pour être faux témoin.
2 Tu ne suivras point la multitude pour faire le mal; et lorsque tu témoigneras dans un procès, tu ne te détourneras point pour suivre le plus grand nombre et pervertir le droit.
3 Tu ne favoriseras point le pauvre en son procès.
4 Si tu rencontres le bœuf de ton ennemi, ou son âne, égaré, tu ne manqueras point de le lui ramener
5 Si tu vois l'âne de celui qui te hait abattu sous son fardeau, tu te garderas de l'abandonner; tu devras le dégager avec lui.
6 Tu ne pervertiras point dans son procès le droit de l'indigent qui est au milieu de toi.
7 Tu t'éloigneras de toute parole fausse; et tu ne feras point mourir l'innocent et le juste, car je ne justifierai point le méchant.

Exode 23:1-7 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 Ostervald translation is in the public domain.