Verse 1

Masters, treat your servants with justice and fairness, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Other Translations

Referenced Verses

  • Eph 6:8-9 : 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way, without threatening them, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers of this present darkness, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand, then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist and the breastplate of righteousness in place. 15 And as shoes for your feet, put on the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and petition. Stay alert with all perseverance as you pray for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that words may be given to me to proclaim the mystery of the gospel boldly. 20 For which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
  • Lev 25:39-43 : 39 If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. 40 They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then they and their children are to be released, and they will return to their own family and to the property of their ancestors. 42 Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. 43 Do not rule over them harshly, but fear your God.
  • Matt 24:48-51 : 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
  • Luke 16:1-9 : 1 Jesus also said to His disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this manager was wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.' 3 The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking away my position? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.' 4 'I know what I will do so that, when I am removed from my position, people will welcome me into their homes.' 5 So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 The man replied, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.' 7 Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' The man replied, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' The manager told him, 'Take your bill and write eighty.' 8 The master praised the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly, because the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves using worldly wealth so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10 Whoever is faithful with very little is also faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is truly yours? 13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
  • Luke 19:15 : 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, so he could find out what they had gained by doing business.
  • Lev 19:13 : 13 Do not oppress or rob your neighbor. Do not withhold the wages of a hired worker overnight.
  • Deut 15:12-15 : 12 If your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year, you must set them free. 13 And when you set them free, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Provide them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I am giving you this command today.
  • Deut 24:14-15 : 14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and depend on it. Otherwise, they may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
  • Neh 5:5-9 : 5 'Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Israelites, and our children are just like theirs, we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, and we are powerless to do anything about it, since our fields and vineyards now belong to others.' 6 When I heard their outcry and these words, I became extremely angry. 7 I took counsel with myself, and then I confronted the nobles and officials, saying to them, 'You are exacting interest from your own people!' So I called together a large assembly to deal with them. 8 I said to them, 'We have redeemed our fellow Jews who were sold to the nations, as much as we were able. Now, you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!' They stayed silent, unable to say a word. 9 Then I said, 'What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of the nations, our enemies?' 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending money and grain, but let us stop charging interest on them. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, as well as the interest you are charging them—on the money, grain, new wine, and olive oil. 12 'We will give it back,' they responded, 'and we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.' Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, 'May God likewise shake out every man who does not uphold this promise from his home and his possessions. Let him be shaken out and left empty!' The entire assembly said, 'Amen,' and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
  • Job 24:11-12 : 11 They press oil between the rows, they tread the wine presses, yet they go thirsty. 12 From the city, the dying groan, and the life of the wounded cries out, but God does not regard their folly.
  • Job 31:13-15 : 13 If I have denied justice to my male or female servants when they had a grievance against me, 14 what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when He calls me to account? 15 Did not the same One who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same God form us both within our mothers?
  • Eccl 5:8 : 8 The benefit of the land is for everyone; even a king depends on the field being cultivated.
  • Jas 2:13 : 13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
  • Jas 5:4 : 4 Look, the wages that you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
  • Rev 17:14 : 14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.
  • Rev 19:16 : 16 He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
  • Isa 58:5-9 : 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and to bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked, clothe them, and do not hide yourself from your own flesh and blood. 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing finger, and malicious talk.
  • Jer 34:9-9 : 9 Each was to free his Hebrew servants, both male and female, so that no one would enslave a fellow Hebrew, a fellow Jew. 10 And all the officials and all the people who entered into the covenant agreed to set free their male and female slaves, so that they would no longer enslave them. They obeyed and set them free. 11 But afterward they turned back and took back the men and women they had freed, and forced them to become slaves again. 12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 13 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying: 14 At the end of seven years, each of you must set free your Hebrew brothers who have been sold to you and have served you for six years. You must release them to go free. But your ancestors did not obey me or pay attention to me. 15 Recently, you repented and did what is right in my sight by proclaiming freedom, each man for his neighbor. You made a covenant before me in the house where my name is called upon. 16 But then you turned back and profaned my name. You took back the servants and maidservants whom you had set free, allowing them to go wherever they desired, and you brought them back into subjection to become your slaves again. 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming freedom, each one to his brother and to his neighbor. So now, I proclaim freedom for you, declares the Lord—freedom to the sword, to plague, and to famine. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
  • Mal 3:5 : 5 I will come near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, and those who swear falsely; against those who defraud workers of their wages, oppress widows and orphans, and deprive foreigners of justice. They do not fear me, says the Lord of Hosts.
  • Matt 23:8-9 : 8 But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
  • Isa 58:3 : 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' Yet on the day of your fasting, you pursue your own desires and oppress all your workers.