Isaiah 5:23

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

²² Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,

who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.

²⁴ Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

²⁵ Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
KJV: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
WEB: who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!
ASV: that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
DARBY: who justify the wicked for a bribe, and turn away the righteousness of the righteous from them!
BLB: those declaring right the wicked for a bribe, and justice for the righteous ones they turn aside from him.

ÅB: de som for gave gir rett til den som har urett, og tar retten fra de rettferdige!
OTB: som frikjenner den skyldige for bestikkelser, og nekter rettferdighet til den uskyldige.
B1930: de som for gave gir rett til den som har urett, og tar retten fra de rettferdige!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 10:2
to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.
Read in context
Psalms 94:21
They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
Read in context
James 5:6
You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.
Read in context
Proverbs 17:15
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous— both are detestable to the LORD.
Read in context
Proverbs 31:4–5
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
Read in context
Micah 7:3
Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.
Read in context
Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”
Read in context
Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.
Read in context