Exodus 22:23
New International Version
If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.

New Living Translation
If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry.

English Standard Version
If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry,

Berean Standard Bible
If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.

King James Bible
If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;

New King James Version
If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;

New American Standard Bible
If you oppress him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will assuredly hear his cry;

NASB 1995
“If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry;

NASB 1977
“If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry;

Legacy Standard Bible
And if you indeed afflict him, and if he earnestly cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry;

Amplified Bible
If you harm or oppress them in any way, and they cry at all to Me [for help], I will most certainly hear their cry;

Christian Standard Bible
If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to me, and I will certainly hear their cry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to Me, and I will certainly hear their cry.

American Standard Version
If thou afflict them at all, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;

Contemporary English Version
If you do, they will beg for my help, and I will come to their rescue.

English Revised Version
If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure that I will hear their cry.

Good News Translation
If you do, I, the LORD, will answer them when they cry out to me for help,

International Standard Version
If you do mistreat them, they'll certainly cry out to me, and I'll immediately hear their cry.

Majority Standard Bible
If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.

NET Bible
If you afflict them in any way and they cry to me, I will surely hear their cry,

New Heart English Bible
If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry;

Webster's Bible Translation
If thou shalt afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry:

World English Bible
If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
if you really afflict him, surely if he cries to Me at all, I certainly hear his cry;

Young's Literal Translation
if thou dost really afflict him, surely if he at all cry unto Me, I certainly hear his cry;

Smith's Literal Translation
If afflicting, thou shalt afflict him, if crying, he shall cry to me, hearing, I will hear his cry.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If you hurt them they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry:

Catholic Public Domain Version
If you hurt them, they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry.

New American Bible
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry.

New Revised Standard Version
If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If you harm them, and they pray before me, I will surely hear their prayer;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if you trouble them and they pray before me, I shall certainly hear their prayers;
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
If thou afflict them in any wise--for if they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry--

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if ye should afflict them by ill-treatment, and they should cry aloud to me, I will surely hear their voice.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws of Social Responsibility
22You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. 23If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry. 24My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will become widows and your children will be fatherless.…

Cross References
James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless and a defender of widows is God in His holy habitation.

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”

Deuteronomy 10:18
He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.

Psalm 146:9
The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.

Jeremiah 22:3
This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, / I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ / Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ...

Proverbs 23:10-11
Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, / for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.

Isaiah 10:1-2
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, / 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.

Zechariah 7:9-10
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another. / Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: / “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. / And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ...

Job 29:12-13
because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. / The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.

1 Timothy 5:3
Honor the widows who are truly widows.

Deuteronomy 24:17-18
Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security. / Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from that place. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.


Treasury of Scripture

If you afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry;

they cry at all

Deuteronomy 15:9
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Deuteronomy 24:15
At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.

Job 31:38,39
If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain; …

I will surely

Job 34:28
So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.

Psalm 10:17,18
LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: …

Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

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Exodus 22
1. Of Theft
5. Of damage
7. Of trespasses
14. Of borrowing
16. Of fornication
18. Of witchcraft
19. Of bestiality
20. Of idolatry
21. Of strangers, widows, and fatherless
25. Of usury
26. Of pledges
28. Of reverence to magistrates
29. Of the first fruits
31. Of torn flesh














If you do mistreat them
This phrase serves as a stern warning against the oppression of the vulnerable, specifically widows and orphans, as mentioned in the preceding verse. The Hebrew word for "mistreat" is "עָנָה" (anah), which implies affliction or causing pain. Historically, widows and orphans were among the most defenseless in ancient societies, lacking a male protector or provider. This command underscores God's concern for justice and His protective nature over those who are marginalized. It reflects a divine mandate for His people to act with compassion and fairness, aligning with the broader biblical theme of social justice.

and they cry out to Me in distress
The act of crying out is significant in the Hebrew context, often associated with a plea for divine intervention. The Hebrew word "צָעַק" (tsa'aq) conveys a sense of desperation and urgency. This phrase indicates that God is attentive to the cries of those who suffer injustice. It echoes the Israelites' own cries in Egypt, which God heard and responded to with deliverance (Exodus 3:7-9). This establishes a pattern of God's responsiveness to human suffering and His commitment to act on behalf of the oppressed.

I will surely hear their cry
The repetition of the verb "hear" in Hebrew, "שָׁמַע" (shama), emphasizes certainty and assurance. God's promise to "surely hear" is a powerful affirmation of His attentiveness and readiness to respond. This assurance is not just a passive acknowledgment but implies active engagement and intervention. In the broader scriptural context, God's hearing often leads to action, as seen in His deliverance of Israel from Egypt. This promise serves as both a comfort to the oppressed and a warning to oppressors, highlighting God's role as a just judge who defends the cause of the vulnerable.

(23) If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me.--Rather, If thou afflict them sore, and they cry earnestly unto me. On the transgression of the laws against oppression by the later Israelites, see Jeremiah 5:28; Jeremiah 7:6; Jeremiah 22:3; Jeremiah 22:17; Zech. 7:20; Malachi 3:5; Matthew 23:14, &c. The sword of the Babylonians and the sword of the Romans avenged the sufferers, according to the prophecy of Exodus 22:24. . . . Verse 23. - And they cry at all unto me Rather, "Surely, if they cry unto me." Compare Genesis 31:42.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

you do mistreat
עַנֵּ֥ה (‘an·nêh)
Verb - Piel - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 6031: To be bowed down or afflicted

them,
תְעַנֶּ֖ה (ṯə·‘an·neh)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6031: To be bowed down or afflicted

[and] they cry out
צָעֹ֤ק (ṣā·‘ōq)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 6817: To shriek, to proclaim

to Me
אֵלַ֔י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

in distress,
יִצְעַק֙ (yiṣ·‘aq)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6817: To shriek, to proclaim

I will surely hear
שָׁמֹ֥עַ (šā·mō·a‘)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

their cry.
צַעֲקָתֽוֹ׃ (ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6818: A cry, outcry


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OT Law: Exodus 22:23 If you take advantage of them at (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 22:22
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