The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:

The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen,

Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, ‘This is what Pharaoh says: “I will not give you any more straw.

So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw.

The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, ‘Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.’

The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”

And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, ‘Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?’

And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”

For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel.

For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.

Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.’

You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”

So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.

So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.

With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

‘Do not ill-treat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

‘Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

‘If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbour about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbour,

“If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor

when they sin in any of these ways and realise their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found,

if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found

‘“Do not defraud or rob your neighbour.

‘“Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

‘“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not ill-treat them.

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

‘“If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other.

And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.

Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God.

You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again.

This is how it is to be done: every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed.

And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed.

You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you.

Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.

Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress them.

He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.

Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

“You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.

Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.

Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.

At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.

and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.

A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labour produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days.

A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually,

The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.

The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain.

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.

I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.

the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands?

The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand.

and said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.”

And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’

Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.’

Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.”

‘You have not cheated or oppressed us,’ they replied. ‘You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.’

They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”

When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns,

Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!’ So none of the troops tasted food.

And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food.

and say, “This is what the king says: put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.”’

and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”’”

Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, ‘Don’t you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?’

Elisha was sitting in his house and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favour, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel.

Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them.

Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.

Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Necho the silver and gold he demanded. In order to do so, he taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments.

And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:

he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,

and say, “This is what the king says: put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.”’

and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’”

Captives also enjoy their ease;
they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout.

There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the plans of the wicked?

Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?

‘People cry out under a load of oppression;
they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.

“Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.

He delivers the afflicted by their affliction
and opens their ear by adversity.

It laughs at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.

He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.

A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.

Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.

His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.

His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.

I say to God my Rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?’

I say to God my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”

You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?

Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?

Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.

ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.

Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;

Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

Put no trust in extortion;
set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!

He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.

They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.

They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.