Usury in the Bible



"Christ drives the Usurers out of the Temple"
Woodcut from the 16th century by Lucas Cranach the Elder
in "Passional Christi und Antichristi"

The Old Testament:

If thou lend money to [any of] my people [that is] poor by thee, thou shall not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
(Exodus 22:25)


Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
(Leviticus 25:36-37)


And this [is] the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth [ought] unto his neighbour shall release [it]; he shall not exact [it] of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release.
(Deuteronomy 15:2)


Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
(Deuteronomy 23:19)


Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
(Nehemiah 5:7)


I likewise, [and] my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
(Nehemiah 5:10)


[He that] putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved.
(Psalms 15:5)


The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender.
(Proverbs 22:7)


Better [is] the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than [he that is] perverse [in his] ways, though he [be] rich. Whoso keepeth the law [is] a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous [men] shameth his father. He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.
(Proverbs 28:6-9)


Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; [yet] every one of them doth curse me.
(Jeremiah 15:10)


He [that] hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, [that] hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in my statures, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he [is] just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
(Ezekiel 18:8-9)


[He that] hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? He shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
(Ezekiel 18:13)


[He that] hath taken off his hand from the poor, [that] hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
(Ezekiel 18:17)


In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.
(Ezekiel 22:12)


The New Testament:

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
(Matthew 21:12)


And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
(Mark 11:15)


And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
(John 2:14-15)

Bibliography:
"The Holy Bible", King James version.

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