Deuteronomy 24:17

THE MESSAGE

Make sure foreigners and orphans get their just rights. Don't take the cloak of a widow as security for a loan. Don't ever forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God , your God, got you out of there. I command you: Do what I'm telling you.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not deny justice to a resident alien or fatherless child, and do not take a widow’s garment as security.

Hebrew Names Version
You shall not wrest the justice [due] to the sojourner, [or] to the fatherless, nor take the widow's clothing to pledge;

King James Version
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

Lexham English Bible
You shall not subvert the rights of an alien or an orphan, and you shall not take as pledge the garment of a widow.

English Standard Version
"You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow's garment in pledge,

New Century Version
Do not be unfair to a foreigner or an orphan. Don't take a widow's coat to make sure she pays you back.

New English Translation
You must not pervert justice due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow's garment as security for a loan.

Amplified Bible
"You shall not pervert the justice due a stranger or an orphan, nor seize (impound) a widow's garment as security [for a loan].

New American Standard Bible
"You shall not pervert the justice due a stranger or an orphan, nor seize a widow's garment as a pledge.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not peruert the right of the stranger, nor of the fatherlesse, nor take a widowes rayment to pledge.

Legacy Standard Bible
"You shall not pervert the justice due a sojourner or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge.

Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don't take any of her clothes.

Complete Jewish Bible
"You are not to deprive the foreigner or the orphan of the justice which is his due, and you are not to take a widow's clothing as collateral for a loan.

Darby Translation
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, [or] of the fatherless; and thou shalt not take in pledge a widow's garment.

Easy-to-Read Version
"You must make sure that foreigners and orphans are treated fairly. And you must never take clothes from a widow as security.

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not pervert the justice due to the stranger, nor to the orphan; nor take a widows garment as a pledge;

Good News Translation
"Do not deprive foreigners and orphans of their rights; and do not take a widow's garment as security for a loan.

Literal Translation
You shall not pervert judgment of an alien, or of an orphan; and you shall not take a widow's garment as pledge.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not wrest the righte of the straunger and of the fatherlesse. And ye wedowes rayment shalt thou not take to pledge:

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to the sojourner, or to the fatherless, nor take the widow's raiment to pledge;

Bible in Basic English
Be upright in judging the cause of the man from a strange country and of him who has no father; do not take a widow's clothing on account of a debt:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt not peruert the ryght of the strauger, nor of the fatherlesse, nor take a wydowes rayment to pledge:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou shalt not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless; nor take the widow's raiment to pledge.

King James Version (1611)
Thou shalt not peruert the iudgement of the stranger, nor of the fatherles, nor take a widowes raiment to pledge.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt pay him his wages the same day, the sun shall not go down upon it, because he is poor and he trusts in it; and he shall cry against thee to the Lord, and it shall be sin in thee.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take the widow's raiment to pledge:

Berean Standard Bible
Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow's cloak as security.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not `peruerte, ethir waiwardli turne, the doom of the comelyng, and of fadirles ethir modirles; nethir thou schalt take awei in the stide of wed the cloth of a widewe.

Young's Literal Translation
`Thou dost not turn aside the judgment of a fatherless sojourner, nor take in pledge the garment of a widow;

Update Bible Version
You shall not wrest the justice [due] to the fatherless sojourner, nor take the widow's raiment to pledge;

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, [nor] of the fatherless, nor take a widow's raiment for a pledge:

World English Bible
You shall not wrest the justice [due] to the sojourner, [or] to the fatherless, nor take the widow's clothing to pledge;

New King James Version
"You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge.

New Living Translation
"True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow's garment as security for her debt.

New Life Bible
"Do what is fair for a stranger or a child whose parents are dead. Do not take the clothing of a woman whose husband has died to make sure she will pay what she owes.

New Revised Standard
You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the sojourner or the fatherless, - neither shalt thou take in pledge the garment of a widow;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger nor of the fatherless, neither shalt thou take away the widow’s raiment for a pledge.

Revised Standard Version
"You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow's garment in pledge;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴Don't abuse a laborer who is destitute and needy, whether he is a fellow Israelite living in your land and in your city. Pay him at the end of each workday; he's living from hand to mouth and needs it now. If you hold back his pay, he'll protest to God and you'll have sin on your books. ¹⁶ Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their parents. Each person shall be put to death for his own sin. ¹⁷Make sure foreigners and orphans get their just rights. Don't take the cloak of a widow as security for a loan. Don't ever forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God , your God, got you out of there. I command you: Do what I'm telling you. ¹⁹When you harvest your grain and forget a sheaf back in the field, don't go back and get it; leave it for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow so that God , your God, will bless you in all your work. When you shake the olives off your trees, don't go back over the branches and strip them bare—what's left is for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. And when you cut the grapes in your vineyard, don't take every last grape—leave a few for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. Don't ever forget that you were a slave in Egypt. I command you: Do what I'm telling you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

pervert: Deuteronomy 16:19, Deuteronomy 27:19, Exodus 22:21, Exodus 22:22, Exodus 23:2, Exodus 23:6, Exodus 23:9, 1 Samuel 12:3, 1 Samuel 12:4, Job 22:8, Job 22:9, Job 29:11-17, Psalms 82:1-5, Psalms 94:3-6, Psalms 94:20, Psalms 94:21, Proverbs 22:22, Proverbs 22:23, Proverbs 31:5, Ecclesiastes 5:8, Isaiah 1:23, Isaiah 3:15, Isaiah 33:15, Jeremiah 5:28, Jeremiah 22:3, Ezekiel 22:7, Ezekiel 22:29, Amos 5:7-12, Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2, Micah 7:3, Zechariah 7:10, Malachi 3:5, Luke 3:14, James 2:6

nor take: Exodus 22:26, Exodus 22:27

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 24:12 - General Job 24:3 - drive Jeremiah 7:6 - oppress Ezekiel 18:7 - hath restored Ezekiel 33:15 - restore 2 Peter 2:3 - make

Cross-References

Genesis 24:1
Abraham was now an old man. God had blessed Abraham in every way.

Genesis 24:6
Abraham said, "Oh no. Never. By no means are you to take my son back there. God , the God of Heaven, took me from the home of my father and from the country of my birth and spoke to me in solemn promise, ‘I'm giving this land to your descendants.' This God will send his angel ahead of you to get a wife for my son. And if the woman won't come, you are free from this oath you've sworn to me. But under no circumstances are you to take my son back there."

Genesis 24:18
She said, "Certainly, drink!" And she held the jug so that he could drink. When he had satisfied his thirst she said, "I'll get water for your camels, too, until they've drunk their fill." She promptly emptied her jug into the trough and ran back to the well to fill it, and she kept at it until she had watered all the camels. The man watched, silent. Was this God 's answer? Had God made his trip a success or not?

1 Kings 17:10
So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, "Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink." As she went to get it, he called out, "And while you're at it, would you bring me something to eat?"

John 4:7
A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give me a drink of water?" (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

John 4:9
The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, [nor] of the fatherless,.... Who are unable to defend themselves, and have but few, if any, to take their part; and therefore particular care should be taken by judges and civil magistrates to do them justice, or God will require it of them:

nor take a widow's raiment to pledge; nor anything else, as her ox or cow, Job 24:3; according to the Jewish canons r, of a widow, whether she is poor or rich, a pledge is not taken; the reason given for which is, that it would raise an ill suspicion, and cause an evil report of her among her neighbours s; and which is suggested by the Targum of Jonathan

"neither shall any of you take for a pledge the raiment of a widow, lest wicked neighbours should arise, and bring an evil report upon her, when ye return the pledge unto her.''

But no doubt a poor widow is meant, and the design of the law is mercy to her, and that she might not be distressed by taking that from her she needed.

r Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 9. sect. 13. s Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 9. sect. 13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare the marginal references. The motive assigned for these various acts of consideration is one and the same Deuteronomy 24:18, Deuteronomy 24:22.