9 Bible Verses About Tort Reform (NIV)

¹⁷ learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor.

² to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.

¹ This is what the LORD says: "Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: ² 'Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, you who sit on David's throne-you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. ³ This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. ⁵ But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.'" ⁶ For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: "Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a desert, like towns not inhabited. ⁷ I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire. ⁸ "People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?' ⁹ And the answer will be: 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.'" ¹⁰ Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again. ¹¹ For this is what the LORD says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: "He will never return. ¹² He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again." ¹³ "Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. ¹⁴ He says, 'I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.' So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red. ¹⁵ "Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. ¹⁶ He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD. ¹⁷ "But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion." ¹⁸ Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: "They will not mourn for him: 'Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!' They will not mourn for him: 'Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!' ¹⁹ He will have the burial of a donkey- dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem." ²⁰ "Go up to Lebanon and cry out, let your voice be heard in Bashan, cry out from Abarim, for all your allies are crushed. ²¹ I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me. ²² The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness. ²³ You who live in 'Lebanon, 'who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor! ²⁴ "As surely as I live," declares the LORD, "even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵ I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those you fear-to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians. ²⁶ I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. ²⁷ You will never come back to the land you long to return to." ²⁸ Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know? ²⁹ O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD! ³⁰ This is what the LORD says: "Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah."

¹ These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah: ² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. ³ As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. ⁴ Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith; ⁵ remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness. ⁶ Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; ⁷ it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. What you have seen with your eyes ⁸ do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? ⁹ If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence, ¹⁰ or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation. ¹¹ A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. ¹² Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear. ¹³ Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters. ¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. ¹⁵ Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. ¹⁶ If you find honey, eat just enough- too much of it, and you will vomit. ¹⁷ Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house- too much of you, and he will hate you. ¹⁸ Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor. ¹⁹ Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble. ²⁰ Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. ²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. ²² In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. ²³ As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks. ²⁴ Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. ²⁵ Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. ²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. ²⁷ It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor. ²⁸ Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

²³ Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.

³ Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

¹ One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. ⁶ Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. ¹¹ While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. ¹⁷ "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. ¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. ²² For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' ²⁴ "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. ²⁵ And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' ²⁶ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

⁶ "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.