Proverbs 17:15

17:15 The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent ¹  –

both of them are an abomination to the Lord. ² 

Exodus 23:6-7

23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 23:7 Keep your distance ³  from a false charge ⁴  – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, ⁵  for I will not justify the wicked. ⁶ 

Isaiah 5:20

5:20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, ⁷ 

who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,

who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. ⁸ 

Isaiah 5:23

5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,

they ignore the just cause of the innocent. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 6:13-14

6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,

all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

Prophets and priests alike,

all of them practice deceit.

6:14 They offer only superficial help

for the harm my people have suffered. ¹⁰ 

They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’

But everything is not all right! ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 8:10-11

8:10 ¹² So I will give their wives to other men

and their fields to new owners.

For from the least important to the most important of them,

all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

Prophets and priests alike,

all practice deceit.

8:11 They offer only superficial help

for the hurt my dear people ¹³  have suffered. ¹⁴ 

They say, “Everything will be all right!”

But everything is not all right! ¹⁵ 

Ezekiel 13:22

13:22 This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.

[17:15]  ¹ tn Heb “he who justifies the wicked and and he who condemns the righteous” (so NASB). The first colon uses two Hiphil participles, מַצְדִּיק (matsdiq) and מַרְשִׁיעַ (marshia’). The first means “to declare righteous” (a declarative Hiphil), and the second means “to make wicked [or, guilty]” or “to condemn” (i.e., “to declare guilty”). To declare someone righteous who is a guilty criminal, or to condemn someone who is innocent, are both abominations for the Righteous Judge of the whole earth.

[17:15]  ² tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.”

[23:7]  ³ tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”

[23:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.

[23:7]  ⁵ tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).

[23:7]  ⁶ sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.

[5:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who call.” See the note at v. 8.

[5:20]  ⁸ sn In this verse the prophet denounces the perversion of moral standards. Darkness and bitterness are metaphors for evil; light and sweetness symbolize uprightness.

[5:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the just cause of the innocent ones they turn aside from him.”

[6:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “They heal [= bandage] the wound of my people lightly”; TEV “They act as if my people’s wounds were only scratches.”

[6:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”

[8:10]  ¹² sn See Jer 6:12-15 for parallels to 8:10-12. The words of Jeremiah to the people may have been repeated on more than one occasion or have been found appropriate to more than one of his collection of messages in written and edited form. See Jer 36:4 and Jer 36:28 for reference to at least two of these collections.

[8:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.

[8:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “They heal the wound of my people lightly.”

[8:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “They say, ‘Peace! Peace!’ and there is no peace!”