King James Version

Exodus 23:7

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

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Hebrew

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מִדְּבַרmidvarfrom causeדָּבָרpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “from cause”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1697a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a causeact, advice, affair, answer, [idiom] any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, [phrase] chronicles, commandment, [idiom] commune(-ication), [phrase] concern(-ing), [phrase] confer, counsel, [phrase] dea…שֶׁ֖קֶרsheqerwithout a causeשֶׁקֶרnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “without a cause”, the ordinary formH8267an untruth; by implication, a sham (often adverbial)without a cause, deceit(-ful), false(-hood, -ly), feignedly, liar, [phrase] lie, lying, vain (thing), wrongfully.תִּרְחָ֑קtirchaqlooseרָחַקverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “loose”, an unfinished actionH7368to widen (in any direction), i.e. (intransitively) recede or (transitively) remove (literally or figuratively, of place or relation)(a-, be, cast, drive, get, go, keep (self), put, remove, be too, (wander), withdraw) far (away, off), loose, [idiom] refrain, very, (be) a good way (off).וְנָקִ֤יvenaqiand innocentנָקִיconjunction, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “and innocent”, the ordinary formH5355innocentblameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit.וְצַדִּיק֙vetsadiqand justצַדִּיקconjunction, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “and just”, the ordinary formH6662justjust, lawful, righteous (man).אַֽלalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.תַּהֲרֹ֔גtaharogdestroyהָרַגverb, qal, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “destroy”, a wish or indirect commandH2026to smite with deadly intentdestroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to (death), make (slaughter), slay(-er), [idiom] surely.כִּ֥יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…לֹאlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…אַצְדִּ֖יקatsdiqcleanseצָדַקverb, hiphil, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “cleanse”, an unfinished actionH6663to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense)cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just(-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be turn to) righteous(-ness).רָשָֽׁעrashaguiltyרָשָׁעadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “guilty”, the ordinary formH7563morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person[phrase] condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Young’s Literal Translation

from a false matter thou dost keep far off, and an innocent and righteous man thou dost not slay; for I do not justify a wicked man.

World English Bible

“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.

Darby Translation

Thou shalt keep far from the cause of falsehood; and the innocent and righteous slay not; for I will not justify the wicked.

Douay-Rheims

Thou shalt fly lying. The innocent and just person thou shalt not put to death: because I abhor the wicked.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Thou shalt abstain from every unjust thing: thou shalt not slay the innocent and just, and thou shalt not justify the wicked for gifts.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἀπὸ παντὸς ῥήματος ἀδίκου ἀποστήσῃ· ἀθῷον καὶ δίκαιον οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖς· καὶ οὐ δικαιώσεις τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἕνεκεν δώρων.