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Sunday, September 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Job 24:3

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Creditor;   Dishonesty;   Homicide;   Orphan;   Pawn;   Wicked (People);   Widow;   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Credit System;   Creditors;   Pledges;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Creditors;   Fatherless;   Ox, the;   Widows;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pledge;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lending;   Orphan;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Widow;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Widow;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fatherless;   Justice;   Loan;   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Debt;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Debt, Debtor (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Pledge;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Debts;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Borrowing;   Fatherless;   Pledge;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherlessand take the widow’s ox as collateral.
Hebrew Names Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, And they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
King James Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
English Standard Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
New Century Version
They chase away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox when she has no money.
New English Translation
They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the widow's ox as a pledge.
Amplified Bible
"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
New American Standard Bible
"They drive away the donkeys of orphans; They seize the widow's ox as a pledge.
World English Bible
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, And they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They leade away the asse of the fatherles: and take the widowes oxe to pledge.
Legacy Standard Bible
They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Berean Standard Bible
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow's ox in pledge.
Contemporary English Version
They cheat orphans and widows by taking their donkeys and oxen.
Complete Jewish Bible
they drive away the orphan's donkey; as collateral, they seize the widow's ox.
Darby Translation
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge;
Easy-to-Read Version
They steal a donkey that belongs to an orphan. They take a widow's cow until she pays what she owes them. They take a nursing baby from its mother. They take a poor person's child to guarantee a loan.
George Lamsa Translation
They seize the ass of the fatherless, they take the widows ox for a pledge.
Good News Translation
They take donkeys that belong to orphans, and keep a widow's ox till she pays her debts.
Lexham English Bible
They drive away the donkey of orphans; they take the widow's ox as a pledge.
Literal Translation
they drive away the ass of orphans; they take the widow's ox for a pledge;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that dryue awaye the asse of the fatherlesse: that take ye wyddowes oxe for a pledge:
American Standard Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Bible in Basic English
They send away the ass of him who has no father, they take the widow's ox for debt.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
King James Version (1611)
They driue away the asse of the fatherlesse, they take the widowes oxe for a pledge.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They driue away the asse of the fatherlesse, and take the wydowes oxe for a pledge:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
They have led away, the ass of the fatherless, and taken the widow’s ox for a pledge.
English Revised Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei driueden awei the asse of fadirlesse children, and token awei the cow of a widewe for a wed.
Update Bible Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Webster's Bible Translation
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
New King James Version
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge.
New Living Translation
They take the orphan's donkey and demand the widow's ox as security for a loan.
New Life Bible
They drive away the donkeys that belong to those who have no parents. They take the bull that belongs to a woman whose husband has died, as a promise that she will pay what she owes.
New Revised Standard
They drive away the donkey of the orphan; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The ass of the fatherless, they drive off, they take in pledge the ox of the widow;
Douay-Rheims Bible
They have driven away the ass of the fatherless, and have taken away the widow’s ox for a pledge.
Revised Standard Version
They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
Young's Literal Translation
The ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.

Contextual Overview

1 "But if Judgment Day isn't hidden from the Almighty, why are we kept in the dark? There are people out there getting by with murder— stealing and lying and cheating. They rip off the poor and exploit the unfortunate, Push the helpless into the ditch, bully the weak so that they fear for their lives. The poor, like stray dogs and cats, scavenge for food in back alleys. They sort through the garbage of the rich, eke out survival on handouts. Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street; they've no place to lay their heads. Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen, they huddle in makeshift shelters. Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them; the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold. They go about patched and threadbare; even the hard workers go hungry. No matter how backbreaking their labor, they can never make ends meet. People are dying right and left, groaning in torment. The wretched cry out for help and God does nothing, acts like nothing's wrong!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

drive: Job 22:6-9, Job 31:16, Job 31:17, Deuteronomy 24:6, Deuteronomy 24:10-13, Deuteronomy 24:17-21, 1 Samuel 12:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:26 - to pledge Deuteronomy 24:12 - General Job 6:27 - the fatherless Job 22:9 - widows Job 24:21 - doeth not Proverbs 1:13 - General Proverbs 23:10 - fatherless Ezekiel 18:7 - hath restored Ezekiel 33:15 - restore

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.
Genesis 14:22
But Abram told the king of Sodom, "I swear to God , The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, this solemn oath, that I'll take nothing from you, not so much as a thread or a shoestring. I'm not going to have you go around saying, ‘I made Abram rich.' Nothing for me other than what the young men ate and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; they're to get their share of the plunder."
Genesis 24:15
It so happened that the words were barely out of his mouth when Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel whose mother was Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with a water jug on her shoulder. The girl was stunningly beautiful, a pure virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. The servant ran to meet her and said, "Please, can I have a sip of water from your jug?"
Genesis 24:28
And the girl was off and running, telling everyone in her mother's house what had happened.
Genesis 24:34
The servant said, "I'm the servant of Abraham. God has blessed my master—he's a great man; God has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, servants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. And then to top it off, Sarah, my master's wife, gave him a son in her old age and he has passed everything on to his son. My master made me promise, ‘Don't get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I live. No, go to my father's home, back to my family, and get a wife for my son there.' I said to my master, ‘But what if the woman won't come with me?' He said, ‘ God before whom I've walked faithfully will send his angel with you and he'll make things work out so that you'll bring back a wife for my son from my family, from the house of my father. Then you'll be free from the oath. If you go to my family and they won't give her to you, you will also be free from the oath.'
Genesis 50:25
Then Joseph made the sons of Israel promise under oath, "When God makes his visitation, make sure you take my bones with you as you leave here."
Exodus 20:7
No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won't put up with the irreverent use of his name.
Exodus 23:13
"Listen carefully to everything I tell you. Don't pay attention to other gods—don't so much as mention their names.
Leviticus 19:12
"Don't swear falsely using my name, violating the name of your God. I am God .
Deuteronomy 6:13
Deeply respect God , your God. Serve and worship him exclusively. Back up your promises with his name only. Don't fool around with other gods, the gods of your neighbors, because God , your God, who is alive among you is a jealous God. Don't provoke him, igniting his hot anger that would burn you right off the face of the Earth. Don't push God , your God, to the wall as you did that day at Massah, the Testing-Place. Carefully keep the commands of God , your God, all the requirements and regulations he gave you. Do what is right; do what is good in God 's sight so you'll live a good life and be able to march in and take this pleasant land that God so solemnly promised through your ancestors, throwing out your enemies left and right—exactly as God said.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They drive away the ass of the fatherless,.... Who are left destitute of friends, and have none to take care of them, and provide for them; and who having one ass to carry their goods for them from place to place, or to ride upon, which though a creature of no great worth, yet of some usefulness, this they drove away from its pasture, or however from its right owner; and who having but one, it was the more cruel and inhuman to take it from him, see, 2 Samuel 12:3;

they take the widow's ox for a pledge; or oxen, the singular for the plural, with which her lands were ploughed, for a single ox could be but of little service: some render it "a cow" h, by the milk of which she and her family were chiefly supported, as many poor country families are by the means of a good milch cow; and to take this, on which her livelihood depended, and retain for a pledge, was very barbarous; when the law concerning pledges took place among the Jews, in the times of Moses, which it seems was in being before with others, whatsoever was useful to persons, either to keep them warm, or by which they got their bread, were not to be taken, at least not detained for a pledge, see Exodus 22:26.

h שור "pro bove foemina, vacca", Bolducius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They drive away the ass of the fatherless - Of the orphan, who cannot protect himself, and whose only property may consist in this useful animal. Injury done to an orphan is always regarded as a crime of special magnitude, for they are unable to protect themselves; see the notes at Job 22:9.

They take the widow’s ox for a pledge - See the notes at Job 22:6. The widow was dependent on her ox to till the ground, and hence, the crime of taking it away in pledge for the payment of a debt.


 
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