58 Bible Verses about Oppression, Nature Of

"Because the poor are being oppressed, because the needy are sighing, I will now arise," says the LORD, "I will establish in safety those who yearn for it."

The wicked one arrogantly pursues the afflicted, who are trapped in the schemes he devises.

You haven't strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you've dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness.

Don't rob the poor person because he is poor, and don't crush the helpless in court, for the LORD will plead their case and ruin the lives of those who ruin them.

"You are not to pervert justice for the poor among you in their lawsuits.

"If there should be a poor man among your relatives in one of the cities of the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don't be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor relative.

The wealthy rule over the poor, and anyone who borrows is a slave to the lender.

Whoever gives to the poor will never lack, but whoever shuts his eyes to their poverty will be cursed.

The people of the land were vigorously oppressive and took possession of plunder by violence. They've afflicted the poor and the needy and unjustly treated the foreigner.

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Israel and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they sold the righteous for money, and the poor for sandals, moving quickly to rub the face of the needy in the dirt. Corrupting the ways of the humble, a man and his father go to the same woman, deliberately defiling my holy name.

"Therefore, since you trample the poor continuously, taxing his grain, building houses of stone in which you won't live and planting fine vineyards from which you won't drink and because I know that your transgressions are many, and your sins are numerous as you oppose the righteous, taking bribes as a ransom, and turning away the poor in court

"Hear this, you who are swallowing up the needy, who intend to make the poor of the land fail,

You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.

But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court?

"You are not to mistreat any widow or orphan.

"Don't deny justice to a foreigner or to an orphan, nor take a widow's garment as collateral for a loan.

They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan;

if I've raised my hand against an orphan when I thought I would against him in court,

LORD, they have crushed your people, afflicting your heritage. The wicked kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.

Don't move ancient boundaries or invade fields belonging to orphans;

Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. All of them are lovers of bribes and are runners after gifts. They don't bring justice to orphans, and the widow's case never comes up for review in their court."

and if you don't oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and don't shed an innocent person's blood in this place, and if you don't follow other gods to your own harm,

"I'll come near to you for judgment. I'll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don't fear me," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

They devour widows' houses and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!"

"You are not to wrong or oppress an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Then the LORD told Abram, "You can be certain about this: Your descendants will be foreigners in a land that isn't theirs. They will be slaves there and will be oppressed for 400 years.

You are not to oppress the resident alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt."

"If a resident alien lives with you in your land, you are not to mistreat him. You are to treat the resident alien the same way you treat the native born among you love him like yourself, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Don't detest Edomites, since they are related to you. Don't detest Egyptians, either, because you were strangers in their land.

The wicked kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.

This is what the LORD says: "Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don't mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place.

Don't take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he's your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city. Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt."

Abram answered Sarai, "Look, your servant is under your control, so do to her as you wish." So Sarai dealt so harshly with Hagar that she ran away from Sarai.

So the Egyptians placed supervisors over them, oppressing them with heavy burdens. The Israelis built the supply cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh.

Now, listen carefully! The cry of the Israelis has come to my attention about how severely the Egyptians have been oppressing them.

"You are not to oppress your neighbor or rob him. "The wages of a hired laborer are not to remain in your possession until morning.

"Why have we fasted,' they ask, "but you do not see? "Why have we humbled ourselves,' they ask, "but you take no notice?'" "Look! On your fast day you serve your own interest and oppress all your workers.

When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian.

Look! The wages that you kept back from the workers who harvested your fields are shouting out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

Eventually a new king who was unacquainted with Joseph came to power in Egypt. He told his people, "Look, the Israeli people are more numerous and more powerful than we are. Come on, let's be careful how we treat them, so that when they grow numerous, if a war breaks out they won't join our enemies, fight against us, and leave our land." read more.
So the Egyptians placed supervisors over them, oppressing them with heavy burdens. The Israelis built the supply cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the more the Egyptians afflicted the Israelis, the more they multiplied and flourished, so that the Egyptians became terrified of the Israelis. The Egyptians ruthlessly forced the Israelis to serve them, making their lives bitter through hard labor with mortar, bricks, and all kinds of outdoor labor. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them. Later, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. "When you help the Hebrew women give birth," he said, "watch them as they deliver. If it's a son, kill him; but if it's a daughter, let her live." But the midwives feared God and didn't do what the king of Egypt told them. Instead, they let the boys live. When the king of Egypt called for the midwives, he asked them, "Why have you done this and allowed the boys to live?" "Hebrew women aren't like Egyptian women," the midwives replied to Pharaoh. "They're so healthy that they give birth before the midwives arrive to help them." God was pleased with the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very strong. Because the midwives feared God, he provided families for them. Meanwhile, Pharaoh continued commanding all of his people, "You're to throw every Hebrew son who is born into the Nile River, but you're to allow every Hebrew daughter to live."

For this is what the LORD says: "My people went down long ago into Egypt to live there; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause.

Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are filled with treachery. This is how they have become prominent and rich, and have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They don't argue the case of the orphan to secure justice. They don't defend the rights of the poor.

Otherwise, they may drink and forget what has been ordained, perverting justice for all the oppressed.

to deprive the needy of justice and to rob the poor of my people of their rights, so that widows may become their spoil and so that they may plunder orphans!

But your eyes and heart are on nothing but your dishonest gain, shedding the blood of innocent people, and practicing oppression and extortion."

"Listen to this message, you fat cows from Bashan, who live on the Samaritan mountains, who oppress the poor, who rob the needy, and who constantly ask your husbands for one more drink!"

Come on, let's be careful how we treat them, so that when they grow numerous, if a war breaks out they won't join our enemies, fight against us, and leave our land."

Instead, Rehoboam spoke to them along the lines of what the younger men suggested. He told them, "My father burdened you heavily, but I will add to that burden. If my father disciplined you with whips, I will, too with scorpions!"

In response, Asa flew into a rage and locked up the seer in stocks in the palace prison because of what Hanani had told him. Asa also tortured some of the people of Israel at that time.

A roaring lion and a charging bear that's what a wicked tyrant is over poor people.

"You are not to mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, they'll certainly cry out to me, and I'll immediately hear their cry. And I'll be angry and will kill you with swords, and your wives will become widows and your children orphans.

""Cursed is the one who perverts justice due the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.' "Then all the people are to respond by saying, "Amen!'

Whoever refuses to hear the cry of the poor will also cry himself, but he won't be answered.

The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, that struck down nations in anger with unceasing blows, that oppressed nations in fury with relentless persecution.

For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Cut down trees and set up siege works against Jerusalem. It is the city to be judged, and there is oppression throughout the entire city.

This is what the LORD says: "Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don't mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place. Rather, carefully obey this message, and then kings sitting for David on his throne and riding in chariots and on horses will enter the gates of this house. The king will enter along with his officials and his people. But if you don't listen to these words, I swear," declares the LORD, "that this house will become a ruin."'"

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Damascus and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they have trampled down Gilead with ironclad threshing sleds.