Bible Verses About Justice

“He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”

Moses praises God as a rock whose work is perfect and whose ways are just. Justice is part of who God is, not just something he demands.

“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His loving devotion.”

The psalmist says God loves righteousness and justice and that the earth is full of his steadfast love. The two belong together.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.”

Righteousness and justice are named as the foundation of God's throne, with love and faithfulness walking in front of him. Power in his hands is never arbitrary.

“For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity; in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.”

God declares that he loves justice and hates robbery and wrongdoing, and he promises to reward his people faithfully. It is a reassuring word for anyone who has been cheated.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah boils it down to three things: act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Justice is joined to kindness and to humility.

““I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

God rejects noisy worship from people who ignore oppression, and asks instead for justice to roll on like a river. Devotion that ignores the poor is empty.

“Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””

A string of short commands: learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed, and stand up for orphans and widows. Justice here means action for people with no voice.

“Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.”

The counsel is to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to judge fairly. A voice is a form of power, and it is meant to be lent.

““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.’”

God asks for true judgments, mercy and compassion, and forbids oppressing the widow, the orphan, the foreigner and the poor. Nor should anyone plot harm in the heart.

“Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””

In his hometown synagogue, Jesus reads a prophetic passage about good news for the poor, freedom for captives and release for the oppressed, and says it is being fulfilled. He begins his ministry with justice in view.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

Jesus criticizes leaders who were careful with small tithes but neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness. Religious precision is no substitute for the weightier matters.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Blessed, Jesus says, are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. It is a deep longing for things to be made right, and he promises it will be satisfied.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Paul tells believers not to repay evil for evil and to leave vengeance to God. Waiting for God's justice does not mean staying silent about wrong; it means refusing to be consumed by revenge.

““Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.””

The servant of the Lord is pictured as gentle with the bruised and faithful in bringing justice to the nations. Christians see Jesus in this portrait.