Exodus 23:8
New International Version
“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

New Living Translation
“Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.

English Standard Version
And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

King James Bible
And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

New King James Version
And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

New American Standard Bible
“You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

NASB 1995
“You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

NASB 1977
“And you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

Legacy Standard Bible
“And you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

Amplified Bible
“You shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the testimony and the cause of the righteous.

Christian Standard Bible
You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.

American Standard Version
And thou shalt take no bribe: for a bribe blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do not take a bribe because a bribe puts out the eyes of the wise in judgment and subverts the words of the innocent.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt not receive gifts; for gifts blind the eyes of the seeing, and corrupt just words.

Contemporary English Version
Don't accept bribes. Judges are blinded and justice is twisted by bribes.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Neither shalt thou take bribes, which even blind the wise, and pervert the words of the just.

English Revised Version
And thou shalt take no gift: for a gift blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Never take a bribe, because bribes blind those who can see and deny justice to those who are in the right.

Good News Translation
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe makes people blind to what is right and ruins the cause of those who are innocent.

International Standard Version
You are not to take a bribe because a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the righteous.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And thou shalt take no gift; for a gift blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

Literal Standard Version
And you do not take a bribe, for the bribe binds the open-[eyed] and perverts the words of the righteous.

Majority Standard Bible
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

New American Bible
Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the just.

NET Bible
"You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and subverts the words of the righteous.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

New Heart English Bible
"You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

World English Bible
“You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.

Young's Literal Translation
And a bribe thou dost not take; for the bribe bindeth the open -eyed, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Justice and Mercy
7Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. 9Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 10:17
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.

Deuteronomy 16:19
Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

1 Samuel 8:3
But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.

1 Samuel 12:3
Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you."

Psalm 15:5
who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

Proverbs 15:27
He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.

Proverbs 17:8
A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall take no gift: for the gift blinds the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.

thou shalt take

Deuteronomy 16:19
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

1 Samuel 8:3
And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

1 Samuel 12:3
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.

the wise.

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Accept Blinds Bribe Cause Decisions Eyes Gift Officials Open Perverteth Perverts Rewards Right Righteous Sight Subverts Twists Upright Wise Words
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Accept Blinds Bribe Cause Decisions Eyes Gift Officials Open Perverteth Perverts Rewards Right Righteous Sight Subverts Twists Upright Wise Words
Exodus 23
1. Of slander, false witness, and partiality
4. Of charitableness
6. Of justice in judgment
8. Of taking bribes
9. Of oppressing a stranger
10. Of the year of rest
12. Of the Sabbath
13. Of idolatry
14. Of the three feasts
18. Of the blood and the fat of the sacrifice
20. An angel is promised, with a blessing, if they obey him














(8) Thou shalt take no gift--i.e., no bribe. Corruption has been always rife in the East, and the pure administration of justice is almost unknown there. Signal punishments by wise rulers have sometimes checked the inveterate evil (Herod. v. 25). But it recurs again and again--"Naturam expellas furca, tarnen usque recurret." According to Josephus (contr. Ap. ii. 27), the Jewish law punished with death the judge who took a bribe. But Hebrew judges seem practically to have been no better than Oriental judges generally. (See 1Samuel 8:3; Psalm 26:10; Proverbs 17:23; Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 5:23; Micah 3:9-11, &c.) The corrupt Administration of justice was one of the crying evils which provoked God's judgments against His people, and led, in the first instance, to the Babylonian captivity, and afterwards to the Roman conquest. . . . Verse 8. - And thou shalt take no gift. The worst sin of a judge, and the commonest in the East, is to accept abribe from one of the parties to a suit, and give sentence accordingly. As such a practice defeats the whole end for which the administration of justice exists, it is, when detected, for the most part, punished capitally. Josephus tells us that it was so among the Jews (Contr. Apion. 2:27); but the Mosaic code, as it has come down to us, omits to fix the penalty. Whatever it was, it was practically set at nought. Eli's sons "turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment" (1 Samuel 8:3). In David's time, men's hands were "full of bribes" (Psalm 26:10). Solomon complains of wicked men" taking gifts out of their bosoms to pervert the ways of judgment" (Proverbs 17:23). Isaiah is never weary of bearing witness against the princes of his day, who" love gifts and follow after rewards" (Isaiah 1:23);who "justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him" (Isaiah 5:23). Micah adds his testimony - "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward" (Exodus 3:9-11). The gift blindeth the wise. See Deuteronomy 16:19.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

accept
תִקָּ֑ח (ṯiq·qāḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

a bribe,
וְשֹׁ֖חַד (wə·šō·ḥaḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7810: A present, bribe

for
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

a bribe
הַשֹּׁ֙חַד֙ (haš·šō·ḥaḏ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7810: A present, bribe

blinds
יְעַוֵּ֣ר (yə·‘aw·wêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5786: To make blind, blind

those who see
פִּקְחִ֔ים (piq·ḥîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 6493: Clear-sighted, intelligent

and twists
וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף (wî·sal·lêp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5557: To twist, pervert, overturn

the words
דִּבְרֵ֥י (diḇ·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the righteous.
צַדִּיקִֽים׃ (ṣad·dî·qîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 6662: Just, righteous


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OT Law: Exodus 23:8 You shall take no bribe (Exo. Ex)
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