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as a tyrant. For to be content with the honor of the title, but I will give counsel in each of the matters to all.

TITLE 19. -Concerning judges who take bribes, and unlawfully condemn.

Fire shall burn the houses of bribe-takers. Wrath shall be upon the ungodly, because of the ungodliness of the gifts which they received. Let the deceitful lips be struck dumb, which speak iniquity against the righteous in pride. If you indeed speak righteousness, judge rightly. How long do you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of sinners? Judge for the orphan. The bribe-taker destroys himself. For one who takes gifts in the bosom of iniquity, his ways do not prosper. He who gives gifts obtains victory and honor; yet it takes away the soul of the possessors. Money given with deceit should be considered as a potsherd. He who judges the unjust righteous, and the righteous unjust, is unclean, and abominable before the Lord. He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," will be cursed by peoples, and hated by nations. They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes. Of those who trample upon the dust of the earth, and they struck the heads of the nations, and they turned aside the way of the lowly. Why have you kept silent about impiety, and have you harvested their iniquities? Their rulers will fall by the sword because of the unruliness of their tongue. Woe is me, my soul, because the godly has perished from the earth, and there is none who does right among men. They all judge for blood. Each oppresses his neighbor. They prepare their hands for evil. The ruler asks, and the judge spoke peaceful words, the desire of his soul. 95.1397 You have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble. And I have made you despised among all the nations, because you accepted gifts in the law. Judgment has come, and the judge receives. Therefore the law is scattered, and judgment does not go forth to the end, because the wicked oppresses the righteous. Her rulers within her are like roaring lions, her judges like wolves of Arabia. Your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing reward, not judging for orphans, and not attending to the cause of widows. I will make youths their rulers, and mockers will rule over them. When you stretch out your hands, I will turn my face away from you. For your hands are full of blood. Woe to those who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him. Therefore, as stubble is burned by a coal of fire, and is consumed by a burning flame, their root will be like grass, and their flower will go up like dust. For they did not want to do the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, but they provoked the oracle of the Holy One of Israel. Woe to those who write wickedness. For writing, they write wickedness, turning aside the judgment of the poor, snatching the possessions of the needy of my people, so that the widow may be for a plunder to them, and the orphan for a prey. And what will they do on the day of visitation? For our affliction will come from afar, and to whom will you flee to be helped? Why do you wrong my people, and shame the face of the poor? says the Lord. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put light for darkness, and darkness for light; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. In your hands were found the blood of innocent souls. They did not judge the cause of the orphan, and they did not judge the cause of the widow. Shall I not visit for these things, says the Lord? Or shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation? Their eyes are not good, and their heart is not upright, but on covetousness, and on innocent blood to shed it, and on false accusation, and for injustice, and for murder to commit it. You have humbled the high, and you have exalted the humble. I will make it an iniquity, says the Lord. Her rulers in her midst are like ravening wolves, seizing prey to shed

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ὡς τύραννος. Ἀρκεῖσθαι γὰρ τῇ τιμῇ τῆς προσηγορίας, τὴν δὲ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν πραγμάτων βουλὴν πᾶσι δώσω.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΘʹ. -Περὶ δικαστῶν δωροδοκουμένων, καὶ ἀθέσμως κατακρινόντων.

Πῦρ καύσει οἴκους δωροδεκτῶν. Θυμὸς ἐπ' ἀσεβεῖς ἔσται, δι' ἀσέβειαν δώρων ὧν ἐδέχοντο. Ἄλαλα γενηθήτω τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, τὰ λαλοῦντα κατὰ δικαίου ἀνομίαν ἐν ὑπερηφανείᾳ. Εἰ ἀληθῶς ἄρα δικαιοσύνην λαλεῖτε, εὐθείας κρίνατε. Ἕως πότε κρίνετε ἀδικίαν, καὶ πρόσωπα ἁμαρτωλῶν λαμβάνετε; Κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ. Ἐξόλλυσιν ἑαυτὸν ὁ δωρολήπτης. Λαμβάνοντος δῶρα ἐν κόλπῳ ἀδικίας, οὐ κατευοδοῦνται αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. Νίκην καὶ τιμὴν περιποιεῖται ὁ διδοὺς δῶρα· τὴν μέντοι ψυχὴν ἀφαιρεῖται τῶν κεκτημένων. Ἀργύριον διδόμενον μετὰ δόλου, ὥσπερ ὄστρακον ἡγητέον. Ὃς δίκαιον κρίνει τὸν ἄδικον, ἄδικον δὲ τὸν δίκαιον, ἀκάθαρτος, καὶ βδελυκτὸς παρὰ Κυρίῳ. Ὁ εἰπὼν τὸν ἀσεβῆ, δίκαιός ἐστιν, ἐπικατάρατος λαοῖς ἔσται, καὶ μισητὸς εἰς ἔθνη. Ἀπέδοντο ἀργυρίου δίκαιον, καὶ πένητα ἕνεκεν ὑποδημάτων. Τῶν πατούντων ἐπὶ τὸν χοῦν τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐκονδυλίαζον εἰς κεφαλὰς ἐθνῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν ταπεινῶν ἐξέκλιναν. Ἵνα τί παρεσιωπήσατε ἀσέβειαν, καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν ἐτρυγήσατε; Πεσοῦνται οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ δι' ἀπαιδευσίαν γλώσσης αὐτῶν. Οἴμοι, ψυχὴ, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἔστιν. Πάντες εἰς αἵματα δικάζουσιν. Ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐκθλίβουσιν. Ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἑτοιμάζουσιν. Ὁ ἄρχων αἰτεῖ, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς εἰρηνικοὺς λόγους ἐλάλησε, καταθύμιον τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. 95.1397 Ὑμεῖς ἐξεκλίνατε ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ· ἠσθενήσατε πολλούς. Κἀγὼ δέδωκα ὑμᾶς ἐξουθενουμένους εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἀνθ' ὧν ἐλαμβάνετε δῶρα ἐν νόμῳ. Γέγονε κρίσις, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς λαμβάνει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο διεσκέδασται νόμος, καὶ οὐ διεξάγεται εἰς τέλος κρίσις, ὅτι ἀσεβὴς καταδυναστεύει τὸν δίκαιον. Οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς λέοντες ὠρυόμενοι, οἱ κριταὶ αὐτῆς ὡς λύκοι τῆς Ἀραβίας. Οἱ ἄρχοντές σου ἀπειθοῦσι, κοινωνοὶ κλεπτῶν, ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα, διώκοντες ἀνταπόδομα, ὀρφανοῖς οὐ κρίνοντες, καὶ κρίσει χηρῶν οὐ προσέχοντες. Ἐπιστήσω νεανίσκους ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμπαῖκται κυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν. Ὅταν ἐκτείνητε τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν, ἀποστρέψω τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν. Αἱ γὰρ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις. Οὐαὶ οἱ δικαιοῦντες τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἕνεκεν δώρων, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ δικαίου αἴροντες ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὃν τρόπον καυθήσεται καλάμη ὑπὸ ἄνθρακος πυρὸς, καὶ συγκαυθήσεται ὑπὸ φλογὸς ἀνημμένης, ἡ ῥίζα αὐτῶν ὡς χόρτος ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτῶν ὡς κονιορτὸς ἀναβήσεται. Οὐ γὰρ ἠθέλησαν τὸν νόμον Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ λόγιον τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ παρώξυναν. Οὐαὶ τοῖς γράφουσι πονηρίαν. Γράφοντες γὰρ πονηρίαν γράφουσιν, ἐκκλίνοντες κρίσιν πτωχῶν, ἁρπάζοντες κτήματα πενήτων τοῦ λαοῦ μου, ὥστε εἶναι αὐτοῖς χήραν εἰς ἁρπαγὴν, καὶ ὀρφανὸν εἰς προνομήν. Καὶ τί ποιήσουσι τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς; Ἡ γὰρ θλίψις ἡμῶν πόῤῥωθεν ἥξει, καὶ πρὸς τίνα καταφεύξεσθε τοῦ βοηθηθῆναι; Τί ὑμεῖς ἀδικεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῶν πτωχῶν καταισχύνετε; φησὶ Κύριος. Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πονηρὸν καλὸν, καὶ τὸ καλὸν πονηρόν· οἱ τιθέντες τὸ φῶς σκότος, καὶ τὸ σκότος φῶς· οἱ τιθέντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν. Ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου εὑρέθησαν αἵματα ψυχῶν ἀθώων. Οὐκ ἔκριναν κρίσιν ὀρφανοῦ, καὶ κρίσιν χήρας οὐκ ἐκρίνοσαν. Μὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι, λέγει Κύριος; ἢ ἐν ἔθνει τῷ τοιούτῳ οὐκ ἐκδικήσει ἡ ψυχή μου; Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν οὐ καλοὶ, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν εὐθεῖα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἀθῶον τοῦ ἐκχέειν αὐτὸ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν συκοφαντίαν, καὶ εἰς ἀδίκημα, καὶ εἰς φόνον τοῦ ποιεῖν. Ἐταπείνωσας τὸν ὑψηλὸν, καὶ ὕψωσας τὸν ταπεινόν. Ἀδικίαν θήσομαι αὐτὴν, λέγει Κύριος. Οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὡς λύκοι ἅρπαγες, ἁρπάζοντες ἅρπαγμα τοῦ ἐκχέαι