TSK · James 2:6

For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them; he has seized a house which he did not build.

He waits in ambush near the villages; in hidden places he kills the innocent. His eyes look for some unfortunate victim.

You have taken notice, for you always see one who inflicts pain and suffering. The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; you deliver the fatherless.

You want to humiliate the oppressed, even though the LORD is their shelter.

The one who mocks the poor has insulted his Creator; whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished.

Government Corruption If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!

The LORD comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says,“It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.

God Will Judge Israel This is what the LORD says:“Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions– make that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals.

Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted.

I do not condone the use of rigged scales, or a bag of deceptive weights.

You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the resident foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow citizen.’

The Arrest and Trial of Peter and John While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,

Further Trouble for the Apostles Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him(that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.

But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio Now while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews attacked Paul together and brought him before the judgment seat,

do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say,“You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person,“You stand over there,” or“Sit on the floor”?

You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you.