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As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a
deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. Then the LORD said to
Abram: "Know for certain that your descendants shall be
aliens in a land not their own, where they shall be enslaved and
oppressed for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the
nation they must serve, and in the end they will depart with great
wealth. You, however, shall join your forefathers in peace; you
shall be buried at a contented old age. In the fourth time-span
the others shall come back here; the wickedness of the Amorites
will not have reached its full measure until then." [GEN 15:12-16]
Then a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in
Egypt. He said to his subjects, "Look how numerous and
powerful the Israelite people are growing, more so than we
ourselves! Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their
increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies
to fight against us, and so leave our country." Accordingly,
taskmasters were set over the Israelites to oppress them with
forced labor. Thus they had to build for Pharaoh the supply cities
of Pithom and Raamses. Yet the more they were oppressed, the more
they multiplied and spread. The Egyptians, then, dreaded the
Israelites and reduced them to cruel slavery, making life bitter
for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field
work - the whole cruel fate of slaves. [EX 1:8-14]
Meanwhile Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law
Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert,
he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the LORD
appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he
was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not
consumed. So Moses decided, "I must go over to look at this
remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned." When
the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God
called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He
answered, "Here I am." God said, "Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand
is holy ground. I am the God of your father," he continued, "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of
Jacob." Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
But the LORD said, "I have witnessed the affliction of my
people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against
their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering.
Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the
Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious
land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the
Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
So indeed the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have
truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them. Come, now! I
will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of
Egypt." [Taken from EX 3:1-10]
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were
once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt." [EX 22:20]
"You shall not oppress an alien; you well know how it feels to
be an alien, since you were once aliens yourselves in the land of
Egypt." [EX 23:9]
"When you have come into the land which the LORD, your
God, is giving you as a heritage, and have occupied it and settled
in it, you shall take some first fruits of the various products of
the soil which you harvest from the land which the LORD, your God,
gives you, and putting them in a basket, you shall go to the place
which the LORD, your God, chooses for the dwelling place of his
name. There you shall go to the priest in office at that time and
say to him, 'Today I acknowledge to the LORD, my God, that I have
indeed come into the land which he swore to our fathers he would
give us.' The priest shall then receive the basket from you and
shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God. Then you
shall declare before the LORD, your God, 'My father was a
wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great,
strong and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed
us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the LORD, the God of
our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil
and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong
hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and
wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land
flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the
first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O LORD, have
given me.' And having set them before the LORD, your God, you
shall bow down in his presence. Then you and your family, together
with the Levite and the aliens who live among you, shall make
merry over all these good things which the LORD, your God, has
given you." [DEUT 26:1-11]
"But if you do not hearken to the voice of the LORD, your
God, and are not careful to observe all his commandments which I
enjoin on you today, all these curses shall come upon you and
overwhelm you: May you be cursed in the city, and cursed in
the country! ... The LORD will put a curse on you, defeat
and frustration in every enterprise you undertake, until you are
speedily destroyed and perish for the evil you have done in
forsaking me. The LORD will bring a pestilence upon you that will
persist until he has exterminated you from the land you are
entering to occupy. The LORD will strike you with wasting and
fever, with scorching, fiery drought, with blight and searing
wind, that will plague you until you perish. The sky over your
heads will be like bronze and the earth under your feet like iron.
For rain the LORD will give your land powdery dust, which will
come down upon you from the sky until you are destroyed... The
LORD will strike you with Egyptian boils and with tumors, eczema
and the itch, until you cannot be cured. And the LORD will strike
you with madness, blindness and panic, so that even at midday you
will grope like a blind man in the dark, unable to find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, with no one to
come to your aid... Your sons and daughters will be given to a
foreign nation while you look on and grieve for them in constant
helplessness. A people whom you do not know will consume the fruit
of your soil and of all your labor, and you will be oppressed and
crushed at all times without surcease, until you are driven mad by
what your eyes must look upon. The LORD will strike you with
malignant boils of which you cannot be cured, on your knees and
legs, and from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head..."
[Taken from DEUT 28:15-16,20-24,27-29,32-35]
Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be
with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as
long as the judge lived; it was thus the LORD took pity on their
distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors. But
when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their
fathers, following other gods in service and worship,
relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct. [Taken
from JUDG 2:18-19]
But the Israelites cried out to the LORD; for with his nine
hundred iron chariots he sorely oppressed the Israelites for
twenty years. [Taken from JUDG 4:3]
When Israel cried out to the LORD because of Midian, he sent a
prophet to the Israelites who said to them, "The LORD, the
God of Israel, says: I led you up from Egypt; I brought you out of
the place of slavery. I rescued you from the power of Egypt and of
all your other oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave
you their land. And I said to you: I, the LORD, am your God; you
shall not venerate the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are
dwelling. But you did not obey me." [JUDG 6:7-10]
The Israelites again offended the LORD, serving the Baals and
Ashtaroths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab,
the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. Since
they had abandoned the LORD and would not serve him, the LORD
became angry with Israel and allowed them to fall into the power
of (the Philistines and) the Ammonites. For eighteen years they
afflicted and oppressed the Israelites in Bashan, and all the
Israelites in the Amorite land beyond the Jordan in Gilead. The
Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah,
Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was in great
distress. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, "We have
sinned against you; we have forsaken our God and have served the
Baals." The LORD answered the Israelites: "Did not the
Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the
Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Midianites oppress you? Yet
when you cried out to me, and I saved you from their grasp, you
still forsook me and worshiped other gods. Therefore I will save
you no more. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen; let them
save you now that you are in distress." But the Israelites
said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever you
please. Only save us this day." And they cast out the foreign
gods from their midst and served the LORD, so that he grieved over
the misery of Israel. [JUDG 10:6-16]
Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah and
addressed the Israelites: "Thus says the LORD, the God of
Israel, 'It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered
you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the
kingdoms that oppressed you.' But today you have rejected your
God, who delivers you from all your evils and calamities, by
saying to him, 'Not so, but you must appoint a king over us.' Now,
therefore, take your stand before the LORD according to tribes and
families." So Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come
forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Next he had the
tribe of Benjamin come forward in clans, and the clan of Matri was
chosen, and finally Saul, son of Kish, was chosen. [Taken from
1SAM 10:17-21]
Samuel addressed all Israel: "I have granted your request
in every respect," he said. "I have set a king over you
and now the king is your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and
have sons among you. I have lived with you from my youth to the
present day. Here I stand! Answer me in the presence of the LORD
and of his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose ass have I
taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whom have
I accepted a bribe and overlooked his guilt? I will make
restitution to you." They replied, "You have neither
cheated us, nor oppressed us, nor accepted anything from
anyone." So he said to them, "The LORD is witness
against you this day, and his anointed as well, that you have
found nothing in my possession." "He is witness,"
they agreed. [1SAM 12:1-5]
When Jacob and his sons went to Egypt and the Egyptians
oppressed them, your fathers appealed to the LORD, who sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt, and he gave them this place
to live in. [Taken from 1SAM 12:8]
In the twenty-third year of Joash, son of Ahaziah, king of
Judah, Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, began his seventeen-year reign over
Israel in Samaria. He did evil in the LORD'S sight, conducting
himself like Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and not renouncing the sin he
had caused Israel to commit. The LORD was angry with Israel and
for a long time left them in the power of Hazael, king of Aram,
and of Ben-hadad, son of Hazael. Then Jehoahaz entreated the LORD,
who heard him, since he saw the oppression to which the king of
Aram had subjected Israel. So the LORD gave Israel a savior, and
the Israelites, freed from the power of Aram, dwelt in their own
homes as formerly. Nevertheless, they did not desist from the sins
which the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but
persisted in them. The sacred pole also remained standing in
Samaria. [2KGS 13:1-6]
King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel during the entire reign of
Jehoahaz. But the LORD was merciful with Israel and looked on them
with compassion because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. He was unwilling to destroy them or to cast them out from
his presence. [2KGS 13:22-23]
He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a
thousand generations - which he entered into with Abraham and by
his oath to Isaac; Which he established for Jacob by statute, for
Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you will I
give the land of Canaan as your allotted inheritance." When
they were few in number, a handful, and strangers there, Wandering
from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, He let
no one oppress them, and for their sake he rebuked kings [Taken
from 1CHRON 16:15-21]
"Therefore, tell my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts:
I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you
might become ruler over my people Israel. I was with you wherever
you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. I will make
your name great like that of the greatest on the earth. I will
assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to
dwell there henceforth undisturbed; nor shall wicked men ever
again oppress them, as they did at first, and during all the time
when I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue
all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that I, the LORD,
will build you a house; so that when your days have been completed
and you must join your fathers, I will raise up your offspring
after you who will be one of your own sons, and I will establish
his kingdom. He it is who shall build me a house, and I will
establish his throne forever. I will be a father to him, and he
shall be a son to me, and I will not withdraw my favor from him as
I withdrew it from him who preceded you; but I will maintain him
in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be
firmly established forever." [Taken from 1CHRON 17:7-14]
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and
said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and did
not rely on the LORD, your God, the army of the king of Aram has
escaped your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a vast
army, with great numbers of chariots and drivers? And yet, because
you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your power. The
eyes of the LORD roam over the whole earth, to encourage those who
are devoted to him wholeheartedly. You have acted foolishly in
this matter, for from now on you will have wars." But Asa
became angry with the seer and imprisoned him in the stocks, so
greatly was he enraged at him over this. Asa also oppressed some
of his people at this time. [2CHRON 16:7-10]
At that time King Ahaz sent an appeal for help to the kings of
Assyria. The Edomites had returned, attacked Judah, and carried
off captives. The Philistines too had raided the cities of the
foothills and the Negeb of Judah; they captured Beth-shemesh,
Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its dependencies, Timnah and its
dependencies, and Gimzo and its dependencies, and occupied them.
For the LORD had brought Judah low because of Ahaz, king of
Israel, who let Judah go its own way and proved utterly faithless
to the LORD. Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, did indeed come to
him, but to oppress him rather than to help him. [2CHRON 28:16-20]
The earlier governors, my predecessors, had laid a heavy burden
on the people, taking from them each day forty silver shekels for
their food; then too, their men oppressed the people. But I,
because I feared God, did not act thus. [Taken from NEH 5:15]
"But they were contemptuous and rebellious: they cast your
law behind their backs, they slew your prophets who bore witness
against them in order to bring them back to you, and they were
guilty of great effronteries. Therefore you delivered them into
the power of their enemies, who oppressed them. But in the time of
their oppression they would cry out to you, and you would hear
them from heaven, and according to your great mercy give them
saviors to deliver them from the power of their enemies. As
soon as they had relief, they would go back to doing evil in your
sight. Then again you abandoned them to the power of their
enemies, who crushed them. Then they cried out to you, and you
heard them from heaven and delivered them according to your mercy,
many times over." [Taken from NEH 9:26-28]
The king of Egypt, however, rose up against them, shrewdly
forced them to labor at brickmaking, oppressed and enslaved them.
But they cried to their God, and he struck the land of Egypt with
plagues for which there was no remedy. When the Egyptians expelled
them, God dried up the Red Sea before them, and led them along the
route to Sinai and Kadesh-barnea. First they drove out all the
inhabitants of the desert; then they settled in the land of the
Amorites, destroyed all the Heshbonites by main force, crossed the
Jordan, and took possession of the whole mountain region. [Taken
from JDTH 5:11-15]
"Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power
depend upon stalwart men; but you are the God of the lowly, the
helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector
of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope." [Taken from
JDTH 9:11]
Then Uzziah said to her: "Blessed are you, daughter, by
the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be
the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth, who guided your
blow at the head of the chief of our enemies. Your deed of hope
will never be forgotten by those who tell of the might of God. May
God make this redound to your everlasting honor, rewarding you
with blessings, because you risked your life when your people were
being oppressed, and you averted our disaster, walking uprightly
before our God." And all the people answered, "Amen!
Amen!" [JDTH 13:18-20]
So the king and Haman went to the banquet with Queen Esther.
Again, on this second day, during the drinking of the wine, the
king said to Esther, "Whatever you ask, Queen Esther, shall
be granted you. Whatever request you make shall be honored, even
for half the kingdom." Queen Esther replied: "If I have
found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, I
ask that my life be spared, and I beg that you spare the lives of
my people. For my people and I have been delivered to destruction,
slaughter, and extinction. If we were to be sold into slavery I
would remain silent, but as it is, the enemy will be unable to
compensate for the harm done to the king." "Who and
where," said King Ahasuerus to Queen Esther, "is the man
who has dared to do this?" Esther replied, "The enemy
oppressing us is this wicked Haman." At this, Haman was seized with dread of the king and queen.
[ESTH 7:1-6]
They despised what their ancestors had regarded as honors,
while they highly prized what the Greeks esteemed as glory.
Precisely because of this, they found themselves in serious
trouble: the very people whose manner of life they emulated, and
whom they desired to imitate in everything, became their enemies
and oppressors. It is no light matter to flout the laws of God, as
the following period will show. [Taken from 2MACC 4:15-17]
Judas Maccabeus and his companions entered the villages,
secretly, summoned their kinsmen, and by also enlisting others who
remained faithful to Judaism, assembled about six thousand men.
They implored the Lord to look kindly upon his people, who were
being oppressed on all sides; to have pity on the temple, which
was profaned by godless men; to have mercy on the city, which was
being destroyed and about to be leveled to the ground; to hearken
to the blood that cried out to him; to remember the criminal
slaughter of innocent children and the blasphemies uttered against
his name; and to manifest his hatred of evil. Once Maccabeus got
his men organized, the Gentiles could not withstand him, for the
Lord's wrath had now changed to mercy. [2MACC 8:1-5]
It is thus that you have now become for me; you see a
terrifying thing and are afraid. Have I asked you to give me
anything, to offer a gift for me from your possessions, Or to
deliver me from the enemy, or to redeem me from oppressors? [Taken
from JOB 6:21-23]
I loathe my life. I will give myself up to complaint; I will
speak from the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not
put me in the wrong! Let me know why you oppose me. Is it a
pleasure for you to oppress, to spurn the work of your hands, and
smile on the plan of the wicked? [Taken from JOB 10:1-3]
This is the portion of a wicked man from God, the inheritance
an oppressor receives from the Almighty: Though his children be
many, the sword is their destiny. His offspring shall not be
filled with bread. His survivors, when they die, shall have no
burial, and their widows shall not be mourned. Though he heap up
silver like dust and store away mounds of clothing, What he has
stored the just man shall wear, and the innocent shall divide the
silver. He builds his house as of cobwebs, or like a booth put up
by the vine-keeper. He lies down a rich man, one last time; he
opens his eyes and nothing remains to him. Terrors rush upon him
by day; at night the tempest carries him off. The storm wind
seizes him and he disappears; it sweeps him out of his place. [JOB
27:13-21]
In great oppression men cry out; they call for help because of
the power of the mighty [Taken from JOB 35:9]
Behold, God rejects the obstinate in heart; he preserves not
the life of the wicked. He withholds not the just man's rights,
but grants vindication to the oppressed, And with kings upon
thrones he sets them, exalted forever. [JOB 36:5-7]
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, stronghold in times
of trouble. [PS 9:10]
The LORD is king forever; the nations have vanished from God's
land. You listen, LORD, to the needs of the poor; you encourage
them and hear their prayers. You win justice for the orphaned and
oppressed; no one on earth will cause terror again. [PS 10:16-18]
At dawn may the LORD bestow faithful love that I may sing
praise through the night, praise to the God of my life. I say to
God, "My rock, why do you forget me? Why must I go about
mourning with the enemy oppressing me?" It shatters my bones,
when my adversaries reproach me. They say to me daily: "Where
is your God?" Why are you downcast, my soul, why do you groan
within me? Wait for God, whom I shall praise again, my savior and
my God. [PS 42:9-12]
Grant me justice, God; defend me from a faithless people; from
the deceitful and unjust rescue me. You, God, are my strength. Why
then do you spurn me? Why must I go about mourning, with the enemy
oppressing me? Send your light and fidelity, that they may be my
guide and bring me to your holy mountain, to the place of your
dwelling, That I may come to the altar of God, to God, my joy, my
delight. Then I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why
are you downcast, my soul? Why do you groan within me? Wait for
God, whom I shall praise again, my savior and my God. [PS 43:1-5]
Lord, check and confuse their scheming. I see violence and
strife in the city making rounds on its walls day and night.
Within are mischief and evil; treachery is there as well;
oppression and fraud never leave its streets. If an enemy had
reviled me, that I could bear; If my foe had viewed me with
contempt, from that I could hide. But it was you, my other self,
my comrade and friend, You, whose company I enjoyed, at whose side
I walked in procession in the house of God. [PS 55:10-15]
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son
of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your
oppressed with right judgment, that the mountains may yield their
bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance, that he may
defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the
oppressor. [PS 72:2-4]
May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the
earth. May his foes kneel before him, his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings
of Arabia and Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all
nations serve him. For he rescues the poor when they cry out, the
oppressed who have no one to help. He shows pity to the needy and
the poor and saves the lives of the poor. [PS 72:8-13]
Let not the oppressed turn back in shame; may the
poor and needy praise your name. Arise, God, defend your cause;
remember the constant jeers of the fools. Do not ignore the clamor
of your foes, the unceasing uproar of your enemies. [PS 74:21-23]
Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed.
Preserve my life, for I am loyal; save your servant who trusts in
you. You are my God; pity me, Lord; to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant; to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
[PS 86:1-4]
The LORD does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the
oppressed. His ways were revealed to Moses, mighty deeds to the
people of Israel. Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to
anger, abounding in kindness. God does not always rebuke, nurses
no lasting anger, Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor
requited us as our deeds deserve. [PS 103:6-10]
When they were few in number, a handful, and strangers there,
Wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another, He
let no one oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: "Do not touch my anointed, to my prophets do no harm." [PS
105:12-15]
Our ancestors in Egypt did not attend to your wonders. They did
not remember your great love; they defied the Most High at the Red
Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake to make his power
known. He roared at the Red Sea and it dried up. He led them
through the deep as through a desert. He rescued them from hostile
hands, freed them from the power of the enemy. The waters covered
their oppressors; not one of them survived. Then they believed his
words and sang songs of praise. [PS 106:7-12]
They defiled themselves by their actions, became adulterers by
their conduct. So the LORD grew angry with his people, abhorred
his own heritage. He handed them over to the nations, and their
adversaries ruled them. Their enemies oppressed them, kept them
under subjection. Many times did he rescue them, but they kept
rebelling and scheming and were brought low by their own guilt.
Still God had regard for their affliction when he heard their
wailing. For their sake he remembered his covenant and relented in
his abundant love, winning for them compassion from all who held
them captive. [PS 106:39-46]
But he poured out contempt on princes, made them wander the
trackless wastes, where they were diminished and brought low
through misery and cruel oppression, while the poor were released
from their affliction; their families increased like their flocks.
The upright saw this and rejoiced; all wickedness shut its mouth.
Whoever is wise will take note of these things, will ponder the
merciful deeds of the LORD. [Taken from PS 107:39-43]
Show me compassion that I may live, for your teaching is my
delight. Shame the proud for oppressing me unjustly, that I may
study your precepts. Let those who fear you turn to me, those who
acknowledge your decrees. May I be wholehearted toward your laws, that I may not be put to shame. [PS
119:77-80]
I have fulfilled your just edict; do not abandon me to my
oppressors. Guarantee your servant's welfare; do not let the
arrogant oppress me. My eyes long to see your salvation and the
justice of your promise. Act with kindness toward your servant;
teach me your laws. I am your servant; give me discernment that I
may know your decrees. It is time for the LORD to act; they have
disobeyed your teaching. Truly I love your commands more than the
finest gold. Thus I follow all your precepts; every wrong way I hate. [PS
119:121-128]
Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them. The
revelation of your words sheds light, gives understanding to the
simple. I sigh with open mouth, yearning for your commands. Turn
to me and be gracious, your edict for lovers of your name. Steady
my feet in accord with your promise; do not let iniquity lead me.
Free me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Let
your face shine upon your servant; teach me your laws. My eyes
shed streams of tears because your teaching is not followed.
[PS 119:129-136]
Much have they oppressed me from my youth, yet they have not
prevailed. Upon my back the plowers plowed, as they traced their
long furrows. But the just LORD cut me free from the ropes of the
yoke of the wicked. [PS 129:2-4]
Happy those whose help is Jacob's God, whose hope is in the
LORD, their God, The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all
that is in them, Who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the
oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free;
the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who
are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects
the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the
way of the wicked. The LORD shall reign forever, your God, Zion,
through all generations! Hallelujah! [PS 146:5-10]
He who oppresses the poor blasphemes his Maker, but he who is
kind to the needy glorifies him. [PROV 14:31]
The oppression of the wicked will sweep them away, because they
refuse to do what is right. [Taken from PROV 21:7]
He who oppresses the poor to enrich himself will yield up his
gains to the rich as sheer loss. [PROV 22:16]
A rich man who oppresses the poor is like a devastating rain
that leaves no food. [PROV 28:3]
The less prudent the prince, the more his deeds oppress. He who
hates ill-gotten gain prolongs his days. [PROV 28:16]
The poor and the oppressor have a common bond: the LORD gives
light to the eyes of both. [PROV 29:13]
Again I considered all the oppressions that take place under
the sun: the tears of the victims with none to comfort them! From
the hand of their oppressors comes violence, and there is none to
comfort them! [ECCL 4:1]
If you see oppression of the poor, and violation of rights and
justice in the realm, do not be shocked by the fact, for the high
official has another higher than he watching him and above these
are others higher still [Taken from ECCL 5:7]
For oppression can make a fool of a wise man, and a bribe
corrupts the heart. [ECCL 7:7]
"Let us oppress the needy just man; let us neither spare the widow nor revere the old man for his hair grown white with time. But let our strength be our norm of justice; for weakness proves itself useless.
Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he
sets himself against our doings, Reproaches us for transgressions
of the law and charges us with violations of our training. He
professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of
the LORD. To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see
him is a hardship for us, because his life is not like other
men's, and different are his ways. He judges us debased; he holds
aloof from our paths as from things impure. He calls blest the
destiny of the just and boasts that God is his Father. Let us see
whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to
him. For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and
deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture
let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his
gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful
death; for according to his own words, God will take care of
him." These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their
wickedness blinded them, And they knew not the hidden counsels of
God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor
discern the innocent souls' reward. [WISDOM 2:10-22]
Fearful shall they come, at the counting up of their sins, and
their lawless deeds shall convict them to their face. Then shall
the just one with great assurance confront his oppressors who set
at nought his labors. Seeing this, they shall be shaken with
dreadful fear, and amazed at the unlooked-for salvation. They
shall say among themselves, rueful and groaning through anguish of
spirit: "This is he whom once we held as a laughingstock and
as a type for mockery, fools that we were! His life we accounted
madness, and his death dishonored. See how he is accounted among
the sons of God; how his lot is with the saints! We, then, have
strayed from the way of truth, and the light of justice did not
shine for us, and the sun did not rise for us. We had our fill of
the ways of mischief and of ruin; we journeyed through impassable
deserts, but the way of the LORD we knew not. What did our pride
avail us? What have wealth and its boastfulness afforded us? All
of them passed like a shadow and like a fleeting rumor; Like a
ship traversing the heaving water, of which, when it has passed,
no trace can be found, no path of its keel in the waves." [Taken
from WISDOM 4:20, 5:1-10]
But Wisdom delivered from tribulations those who served her.
She, when the just man fled from his brother's anger, guided him
in direct ways, showed him the kingdom of God and gave him
knowledge of holy things; She prospered him in his labors and made
abundant the fruit of his works, Stood by him against the greed of
his defrauders, and enriched him; She preserved him from foes, and
secured him against ambush, And she gave him the prize for his
stern struggle that he might know that devotion to God is mightier
than all else. She did not abandon the just man when he was sold,
but delivered him from sin. She went down with him into the
dungeon, and did not desert him in his bonds, until she brought
him the scepter of royalty and authority over his oppressors, showed those who had defamed him false, and gave him eternal
glory. The holy people and blameless race - it was she who
delivered them from the nation that oppressed them. She entered
the soul of the LORD'S servant, and withstood fearsome kings with
signs and portents; she gave the holy ones the recompense of their
labors, conducted them by a wondrous road, and became a shelter
for them by day and a starry flame by night. She took them across
the Red Sea and brought them through the deep waters - but their
enemies she overwhelmed, and cast them up from the bottom of the
depths. Therefore the just despoiled the wicked; and they sang, O
LORD, your holy name because Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb,
and gave ready speech to infants. [WISDOM 10:9-21]
For the whole world shone with brilliant light and continued
its works without interruption; Over them alone was spread
oppressive night, an image of the darkness that next should come
upon them; yet they were to themselves more burdensome than the
darkness. [Taken from WISDOM 17:20-21]
And the punishments came upon the sinners only after
forewarnings from the violence of the thunderbolts. For they
justly suffered for their own misdeeds, since indeed they treated
their guests with the more grievous hatred. For those others did
not receive unfamiliar visitors, but these were enslaving
beneficent guests. And not that only; but what punishment was to
be theirs since they received strangers unwillingly! Yet these,
after welcoming them with festivities, oppressed with awful toils
those who now shared with them the same rights. And they were
struck with blindness, as those others had been at the portals of
the just - when, surrounded by yawning darkness, each sought the
entrance of his own gate. For the elements, in variable harmony
among themselves, like strings of the harp, produce new melody,
while the flow of music steadily persists. And this can be
perceived exactly from a review of what took place.
[WISDOM 19:13-18]
Give a hearing to the poor man, and return his greeting with courtesy;
Deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor; let not justice be repugnant to you.
[SIRACH 4:8-9]
No matter the wrong, do no violence to your neighbor, and do
not walk the path of arrogance. Odious to the LORD and to men is
arrogance, and the sin of oppression they both hate. [Taken from
SIRACH 10:6-7]
Mock not the worn cloak and jibe at no man's bitter day: For
strange are the works of the LORD, hidden from men his deeds. The
oppressed often rise to a throne, and some that none would
consider wear a crown. The exalted often fall into utter disgrace;
the honored are given into enemy hands. [SIRACH 11:4-6]
For he is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not
unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the
oppressed. He is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the
widow when she pours out her complaint; Do not the tears that
stream down her cheek cry out against him that causes them to
fall? [SIRACH 35:12-15]
And the people shall oppress one another, yes, every man his
neighbor. The child shall be bold toward the elder, and the base
toward the honorable. [Taken from ISA 3:5]
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive
decrees, depriving the needy of judgment and robbing my people's
poor of their rights [Taken from ISA 10:1-2]
When the LORD has pity on Jacob and again chooses Israel and
settles them on their own soil, the aliens will join them and be
counted with the house of Jacob. The house of Israel will take
them and bring them along to its place, and possess them as male
and female slaves on the Lord's soil, making captives of its
captors and ruling over its oppressors. On the day the LORD
relieves you of sorrow and unrest and the hard service in which
you have been enslaved, you will take up this taunt-song against
the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has reached his end! how
the turmoil is stilled! The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked,
the staff of the tyrants that struck the peoples in wrath
relentless blows; That beat down the nations in anger, with
oppression unchecked. The whole earth rests peacefully, song
breaks forth
[Taken from ISA 14:1-7]
On that day there shall be an altar to the LORD in the land of Egypt, and a sacred pillar to the LORD near the boundary. It shall be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt, when they cry out to the LORD against their oppressors, and he sends them a savior to defend and deliver them.
[Taken from ISA 19:19-20]
You shall exult no more, he says, you who are now oppressed,
virgin daughter Sidon. Arise, pass over to the Kittim, even there
you shall find no rest. [ISA 23:12]
O LORD, oppressed by your punishment, we cried out in anguish
under your chastising. As a woman about to give birth writhes and
cries out in her pains, so were we in your presence, O LORD. We
conceived and writhed in pain, giving birth to wind; Salvation we
have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world
cannot bring it forth. But your dead shall live, their corpses
shall rise; awake and sing, you who lie in the dust. For your dew
is a dew of light, and the land of shades gives birth. [ISA 26:16-19]
He who practices virtue and speaks honestly, who spurns what is
gained by oppression, brushing his hands free of contact with a
bribe, stopping his ears lest he hear of bloodshed, closing his
eyes lest he look on evil - He shall dwell on the heights, his
stronghold shall be the rocky fastness, his food and drink in
steady supply. [ISA 33:15-16]
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion
singing, crowned with everlasting joy; They will meet with joy and
gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. I, it is I who comfort
you. Can you then fear mortal man, who is human only, to be looked
upon as grass, And forget the LORD, your maker, who stretched out
the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth? All the day you
are in constant dread of the fury of the oppressor; But when he
sets himself to destroy, what is there of the oppressor's fury?
The oppressed shall soon be released; they shall not die and go
down into the pit, nor shall they want for bread. For I am the
LORD, your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the
LORD of hosts by name. I have put my words into your mouth and
shielded you in the shadow of my hand, I, who stretched out the
heavens, who laid the foundations of the earth, who say to Zion:
You are my people.
[ISA 51:11-16]
Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your
glorious garments, O Jerusalem, holy city. No longer shall the
uncircumcised or the unclean enter you. Shake off the dust, ascend
to the throne, Jerusalem; Loose the bonds from your neck, O
captive daughter Zion! For thus says the LORD: You were sold for
nothing, and without money you shall be redeemed. Thus says the
Lord GOD: To Egypt in the beginning my people went down, to
sojourn there; Assyria, too, oppressed them for nought. But now,
what am I to do here? says the LORD. My people have been taken
away without redress; their rulers make a boast of it, says the
LORD; all the day my name is constantly reviled. Therefore on that
day my people shall know my renown, that it is I who have foretold
it. Here I am! How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
him who brings glad tidings, Announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, "Your God is
King!" Hark! Your watchmen raise a cry, together they shout
for joy, For they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD
restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem. The LORD
has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; All the
ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God. Depart,
depart, come forth from there, touch nothing unclean! Out from
there! Purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
Yet not in fearful haste will you come out, nor leave in headlong
flight, For the LORD comes before you, and your rear guard is the
God of Israel. [ISA 52:1-12]
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have
thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land
of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was
assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (But the
LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life
as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long
life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of
days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and
their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion
among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the
wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon
for their offenses. [Taken from ISA 53:8-12]
Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken,
My love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you. O afflicted one,
storm-battered and unconsoled, I lay your pavements in carnelians,
and your foundations in sapphires; I will make your battlements of
rubies, your gates of carbuncles, and all your walls of precious
stones. All your sons shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall
be the peace of your children. In justice shall you be
established, far from the fear of oppression, where destruction
cannot come near you. Should there be any attack, it shall not be
of my making; whoever attacks you shall fall before you. Lo, I
have created the craftsman who blows on the burning coals and
forges weapons as his work; It is I also who have created the
destroyer to work havoc. No weapon fashioned against you shall
prevail; every tongue you shall prove false that launches an
accusation against you. This is the lot of the servants of the
LORD, their vindication from me, says the LORD. [ISA 54:10-17]
Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of
penance: That a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth
and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound
unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the
oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the
hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the
naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound
shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall
call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he
will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on
the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for
you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like
midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty
even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you
shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never
fails. [ISA 58:5-11]
The glory of Lebanon shall come to you: the cypress, the plane
and the pine, to bring beauty to my sanctuary, and glory to the
place where I set my feet. The children of your oppressors shall
come, bowing low before you; All those who despised you shall fall
prostrate at your feet. They shall call you "City of the
LORD," "Zion of the Holy One of Israel." Once you
were forsaken, hated and unvisited, now I will make you the pride
of the ages, a joy to generation after generation. [ISA 60:13-15]
Woe to the city marked for
punishment; nought but oppression within her! [Taken from JER 6:6]
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Reform your
ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place.
Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the
temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the
LORD!" Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your
deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no
longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if
you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange
gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in
the land which I gave your fathers long ago and forever. [Taken
from JER 7:3-7]
To the royal house of Judah: Hear the word of the LORD, O house
of David! Thus says the LORD: Each morning dispense justice,
rescue the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, Lest my fury
break out like fire which burns without being quenched, because of
the evil of your deeds. Beware! I am against you, Valley-site,
Rock of the Plain, says the LORD. You who say, "Who will
attack us, who can penetrate our retreats?" I will punish
you, says the LORD, as your deeds deserve! I will kindle a fire in
its forest that shall devour all its surroundings. [JER 21:11-14]
Thus says the LORD: Do what is right and just. Rescue the
victim from the hand of his oppressor. Do not wrong or oppress the
resident alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent
blood in this place. If you carry out these commands, kings who
succeed to the throne of David will continue to enter the gates of
this palace, riding in chariots or mounted on horses, with their
ministers, and their people. But if you do not obey these
commands, I swear by myself, says the LORD: this palace shall
become rubble. [JER 22:3-5]
Thus says the LORD: See! I will restore the tents of Jacob, his
dwellings I will pity; City shall be rebuilt upon hill, and palace
restored as it was. From them will resound songs of praise, the
laughter of happy men. I will make them not few, but many; they
will not be tiny, for I will glorify them. His sons shall be as of
old, his assembly before me shall stand firm; I will punish all
his oppressors. His leader shall be one of his own, and his rulers
shall come from his kin. When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk of approaching me? says
the LORD. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. See, the
storm of the LORD! His wrath breaks forth in a whirling storm that
bursts upon the heads of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will
not abate until he has done and fulfilled what he has determined
in his heart. When the time comes, you will fully understand. [JER
30:18-24]
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Oppressed are the men of Israel,
and with them the men of Judah; All their captors hold them fast
and refuse to let them go. Strong is their avenger, whose name is
LORD of hosts; He will defend their cause with success, and give
rest to the earth, but unrest to those who live in Babylon. [Taken
from JER 50:33-34]
Judah has fled into exile from oppression and cruel slavery;
Yet where she lives among the nations she finds no place to rest:
All her persecutors come upon her where she is narrowly confined.
[LAM 1:3]
"Fear not, my children; call upon God, who will deliver
you from oppression at enemy hands. I have trusted in the Eternal
God for your welfare, and joy has come to me from the Holy One because of the mercy that will swiftly reach you from your eternal
savior. With mourning and lament I sent you forth, but God will
give you back to me with enduring gladness and joy. As Zion's
neighbors lately saw you taken captive, so shall they soon see
God's salvation come to you, with great glory and the splendor of
the Eternal God. My children, bear patiently the anger that
has come from God upon you; Your enemies have persecuted you, and
you will soon see their destruction and trample upon their necks."
[Taken from BARUCH
4:21-25]
"But if he begets a son who is a thief, a murderer, or who does
any of these things (though the father does none of them), a son
who eats on the mountains, defiles the wife of his neighbor,
oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not give back
a pledge, raises his eyes to idols, does abominable things, lends
at interest and exacts usury - this son certainly shall not live.
Because he practiced all these abominations, he shall surely die;
his death shall be his own fault. On the other hand, if a man
begets a son who, seeing all the sins his father commits, yet
fears and does not imitate him; a son who does not eat on the
mountains, or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
or defile his neighbor's wife; who does not oppress anyone, or
exact a pledge, or commit robbery; who gives his food to the
hungry and clothes the naked; who holds off from evildoing,
accepts no interest or usury, but keeps my ordinances and lives by
my statutes - this one shall not die for the sins of his father,
but shall surely live." [Taken from EZEK 18:10-17]
See! the princes of Israel, family by family, are in you only
for bloodshed. Within you, father and mother are despised; in your
midst, they extort from the resident alien; within you, they
oppress orphans and widows. What is holy to me you have spurned,
and my sabbaths you have desecrated. [Taken from EZEK 22:6-8]
The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery;
they afflict the poor and the needy, and oppress the resident
alien without justice. Thus I have searched among them for someone
who could build a wall or stand in the breach before me to keep me
from destroying the land; but I found no one. Therefore I have
poured out my fury upon them; with my fiery wrath I have consumed
them; I have brought down their conduct upon their heads, says the
Lord GOD. [Taken from EZEK 22:29-31]
The prince shall have a section bordering on both sides of the
combined sacred tract and City property, extending westward on the
western side and eastward on the eastern side, corresponding in
length to one of the tribal portions from the western boundary to
the eastern boundary of the land. This shall be his property in
Israel, so that the princes of Israel will no longer oppress my
people, but will leave the land to the house of Israel according
to their tribes. [Taken from EZEK 45:7-8]
Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away
violence and oppression, and do what is right and just! Stop
evicting my people! says the Lord GOD. [Taken from EZEK 45:9]
For, as I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones and
was victorious until the Ancient One arrived; judgment was
pronounced in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, and the
time came when the holy ones possessed the kingdom. He answered me
thus: "The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
different from all the others; It shall devour the whole earth,
beat it down, and crush it. The ten horns shall be ten kings
rising out of that kingdom; another shall rise up after them, different from those before him, who shall lay low three kings. He
shall speak against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the
Most High, thinking to change the feast days and the law. They
shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and a
half-year. But when the court is convened, and his power is taken
away by final and absolute destruction, then the kingship and
dominion and majesty of all the kingdoms under the heavens shall
be given to the holy people of the Most High, whose kingdom shall
be everlasting: all dominions shall serve and obey him." [DAN
7:21-27]
Proclaim this in the castles of Ashdod, in the castles of the
land of Egypt: "Gather about the mountain of Samaria, and see
the great disorders within her, the oppression in her midst."
For they know not how to do what is right, says the LORD, Storing
up in their castles what they have extorted and robbed. Therefore,
thus says the Lord GOD: An enemy shall surround the land, and
strip you of your strength, and pillage your castles [Taken from
AMOS 3:9-11]
Yes, I know how many are your crimes, how grievous your sins:
Oppressing the just, accepting bribes, repelling the needy at the
gate! Therefore the prudent man is silent at this time, for it is
an evil time. Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then
truly will the LORD, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; Then
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will have pity on the
remnant of Joseph. [AMOS 5:12-15]
Beware, I am raising up against you, O house of Israel, say I,
the LORD, the God of hosts, A nation that shall oppress you from
Labo of Hamath even to the Wadi Arabah. [AMOS 6:14]
On that day you need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your
rebellious actions against me; For then will I remove from your
midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain. But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a
people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the name of the
LORD; the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no
lies; Nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb
them. Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! sing joyfully, O Israel! Be
glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD
has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your
enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have
no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to
Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your
God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you
with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully
because of you, as one sings at festivals. I will remove disaster
from among you, so that none may recount your disgrace. Yes, at
that time I will deal with all who oppress you; I will save the
lame, and assemble the outcasts; I will give them praise and
renown in all the earth, when I bring about their restoration. At
that time I will bring you home, and at that time I will gather
you; For I will give you renown and praise, among all the peoples
of the earth, When I bring about your restoration before your very
eyes, says the LORD. [ZEPH 3:11-20]
(This word of the LORD came to Zechariah: Thus says the LORD of
hosts:) Render true judgment, and show kindness and compassion
toward each other. Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the
alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your
hearts. But they refused to listen; they stubbornly turned their
backs and stopped their ears so as not to hear. And they made
their hearts diamondhard so as not to hear the teaching and the
message that the LORD of hosts had sent by his spirit through the
former prophets. Then the LORD of hosts in his great anger said
that, as they had not listened when he called, so he would not
listen when they called, but would scatter them with a whirlwind
among all the nations that they did not know. Thus the land was
left desolate after them with no one traveling to and fro; they
made the pleasant land into a desert. [ZECH 7:8-14]
I will encamp by my house as a guard that none may pass to and
fro; No oppressor shall pass over them again, for now I have
regard for their affliction. [ZECH 9:8]
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according
to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up
to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled
the scroll and found the passage where it was written: "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring
glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed
go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat
down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled
in your hearing." [LK 4:16-21]
"When the time drew near for the fulfillment of the
promise that God pledged to Abraham, the people had increased and
become very numerous in Egypt, until another king who knew nothing
of Joseph came to power (in Egypt). He dealt shrewdly with our
people and oppressed (our) ancestors by forcing them to expose
their infants, that they might not survive. At this time Moses was
born, and he was extremely beautiful. For three months he was
nursed in his father's house; but when he was exposed, Pharaoh's
daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was
educated (in) all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in
his words and deeds. When he was forty years old, he decided
to visit his kinsfolk, the Israelites. When he saw one of them
treated unjustly, he defended and avenged the oppressed man by
striking down the Egyptian. He assumed (his) kinsfolk would
understand that God was offering them deliverance through him, but
they did not understand. The next day he appeared to them as they
were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying,
'Men, you are brothers. Why are you harming one another?' Then the
one who was harming his neighbor pushed him aside, saying, 'Who
appointed you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing
me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' Moses fled when he heard
this and settled as an alien in the land of Midian, where he
became the father of two sons. Forty years later, an angel
appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai in the flame of a
burning bush." [Taken from ACTS 7:17-30]
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see
that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever
fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. You know the
word (that) he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace
through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all
over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John
preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit
and power. He went about doing good and healing all those
oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of
all that he did both in the country of the Jews and (in)
Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This
man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in
advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is
the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To
him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in
him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name." [ACTS 10:34-43]
My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on
his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a
poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention
to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Sit here,
please," while you say to the poor one, "Stand
there," or "Sit at my feet," have you not made
distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor
in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he
promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor
person. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves
not haul you off to court? Is it not they who blaspheme the noble
name that was invoked over you? However, if you fulfill the royal
law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor
as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality,
you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For
whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular,
has become guilty in respect to all of it. For he who said,
"You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You
shall not kill." Even if you do not commit adultery but kill,
you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as
people who will be judged by the law of freedom. For the judgment
is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over
judgment. [JMS 2:1-13]
There were also false prophets among the people, just as there
will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive
heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing
swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their licentious
ways, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. In
their greed they will exploit you with fabrications, but from of
old their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction
does not sleep. For if God did not spare the angels when they
sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus and handed
them over to be kept for judgment; and if he did not spare the
ancient world, even though he preserved Noah, a herald of
righteousness, together with seven others, when he brought a flood
upon the godless world; and if he condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah (to destruction), reducing them to ashes, making them
an example for the godless (people) of what is coming; and if he
rescued Lot, a righteous man oppressed by the licentious conduct
of unprincipled people (for day after day that righteous man
living among them was tormented in his righteous soul at the
lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to
rescue the devout from trial and to keep the unrighteous under
punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who
follow the flesh with its depraved desire and show contempt for
lordship. [2PT 2:1-10]
Also try:
persecute
/ persecutor [P6]
afflict
/ afflicted / affliction [A1]
iniquity
/ iniquities / injustice [I1]
wrongdoing
/ sin [S18a]
merciless
[M3a]
worry
[W]
despair
[D]
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