Yesaya 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ¹  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ² 

Yeremia 5:28

5:28 That is how ³  they have grown fat and sleek. ⁴ 

There is no limit to the evil things they do. ⁵ 

They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.

They do not defend the rights of the poor.

Yehezkiel 22:6-7

22:6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his authority to shed blood. ⁶  22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt ⁷  within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow ⁸  within you.

Mikha 3:9

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ⁹  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ¹⁰  of Israel!

You ¹¹  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

Habakuk 1:4

1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, ¹² 

and justice is never carried out. ¹³ 

Indeed, ¹⁴  the wicked intimidate ¹⁵  the innocent. ¹⁶ 

For this reason justice is perverted. ¹⁷ 

[10:2]  ¹ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ² tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[10:2]  sn On the socio-economic background of vv. 1-2, see the note at 1:23.

[5:28]  ³ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.

[5:28]  ⁴ tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.

[5:28]  ⁵ tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”

[5:28]  sn There is a wordplay in the use of this word which has twice been applied in v. 22 to the sea not crossing the boundary set for it by God.

[22:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”

[22:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”

[22:7]  ⁸ tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.

[3:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).

[1:4]  ¹² tn Heb “the law is numb,” i.e., like a hand that has “fallen asleep” (see Ps 77:2). Cf. NAB “is benumbed”; NIV “is paralyzed.”

[1:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “never goes out.”

[1:4]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for.”

[1:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).

[1:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[1:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “comes out crooked.”